Not What She Seems
by elizabethj88
Summary: Dean is forced to go on a hunt that he doesn't think is related to their job. After arriving in town, he finds more than he bargained for, and Sam is determined to prove his worth. An O/C is held captive by something that seems less human than she originally thought. Will she be able to handle the doors this encounter opens?
1. The One Where Garth Ruins Dean's Day

***Disclaimer-Supernatural and its characters are owned by the CW and all the people who were smart enough to create them and unfortunately this wasn't me. OC is mine though, so yay for creative license. This is rated M for eventual sexual content (talk about a slow burn), language, and violence. There are descriptions/mentions of sexual assault, although not super graphic, so if that's something that will bother you please skip over this because I don't want to make you sad. Also, this is the first time I've written a fanfic that has seen the light of day, so bare with me while I get used to it. Please rate, review, download, favorite, whatever it is you cool kids do. I hope you enjoy! :) ***

The room was dimly lit, a single lamp with an old, ratty shade sitting in the corner the only source of light. Her vision was blurry as she opened her eyes slowly, but she could tell that the room was sparsely furnished. Her ears were ringing painfully as well, as if she had been standing near a loud speaker at a concert or loud machinery. She tried to remember where she'd been that would have been that loud, but her memory was too fuzzy. She glanced around. Besides the lamp, there was a small table and chair by the window and a nightstand next to the bed she was on. She noticed that the windows had heavy curtains that were covered in a thick layer of dust and could easily block out any light that tried to come through. There was a heavy wooden door with a large iron handle that, from her limited angle, seemed to be the only entrance and exit to the room. The entire room was exposed brick, and reminded her of a warehouse. In an attempt to figure out where she was, she tried to sit up and was immediately overcome by a wave of nausea. She closed her eyes to try to combat the feeling and became aware of something on her wrists. She cautiously opened her eyes and glanced down. Thick leather straps kept her tethered to the bed. Panicked, she began tugging at them but after a couple minutes of struggling, she gave up. She could feel similar restraints around her ankles. She closed her eyes again and fought back tears. There were no options. The location was unfamiliar and whoever had brought her here was obviously intent on keeping her. She was tired, groggy, and nauseated, with no recollection of how she'd gotten there. A creak echoed across the room as the door slowly eased open. A tall figure, hidden by shadow, slid past the door and carefully closed it behind him.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was worried I may have gone too far." The figure stepped out of the shadows. "How are you feeling? Groggy, I'm sure. I'm sorry, that's my fault. You see, I normally would have some help and your boyfriend...that was your boyfriend, correct?...well he gave me more trouble than I anticipated. I was distracted and maybe a little clumsy." As he approached the bed she tried to focus on his features, but her vision was still blurry, and she was so tired. So, so tired. He crossed the space quickly and sat on the edge of the bed, his long legs stretched out in front of him. "But you're here now! That's the important thing." He slowly pushed a strand of rogue hair from her face. "Oh, I have forgotten my manners. My name is Sebastian. What is yours?" She opened her mouth to answer but immediately closed it. What was her name?

"I...I'm not sure..." Her voice came out raspy and dry. She could feel panic swelling in her chest, and she struggled weakly against the shackles. "Where am I?...What...why am I here?" He smiled slightly.

"I should let you rest. Yes, you should rest." He stood, his tall form towering above her. "We will talk later, when you're feeling better. There's much to discuss." He quickly disappeared and the door shut quietly behind him. She closed her eyes and choked back a sob. She had to find a way out, but she was so tired. She fought against closing her eyes but finally succumbed to her exhaustion and whatever it was he'd drugged her with.

* * *

The rain was coming down in sheets, and the Impala's windshield wipers struggled to keep up. Dean squinted as lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating his surroundings in a harsh white light before everything was sunk into inky blackness once more. He glanced over to see his brother, slouched against the door, fast asleep and faintly snoring. It was the first time in days that Dean had seen Sam relax enough to sleep. He was grimacing, but asleep.

"Better than nothing," Dean thought, turning his attention back to the road. It had been a rough couple weeks and as usual, the brothers were blaming themselves for things they couldn't control. Dean was handling it better than he normally would, but Sam had taken it hard. It was supposed to be a simple salt and burn, but then everything had gone tits up and, even though the spirit had been put to rest, Sam had been roughed up pretty bad and the girl they were trying to protect was killed. Although it didn't happen often, the rare failures were still hard to deal with. The kid was already full of guilt, although Dean had to wonder what hunter wasn't, including himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hard rock coming from his phone. "Shit," Dean mumbled as he dug around in his pocket trying to get to it before it stopped ringing. "Pinky's Porno Palace...what's your pleasure?"

"Dean? Is this...do I have the right number?" Dean heard the phone being fumbled as the person checked to make sure they had dialed correctly. "I don't remember calling a porn store...Dean?"

"Dude, yes, it's me." A sigh of relief sounded from the other phone.

"Well, thank goodness. It's Garth." Dean rolled his eyes.

"What do you want, man?" Dean heard the shuffle of papers as Garth searched for the reason he called.

"Yea, we have a case that came up, fairly close to you. Are you at the bunker?"

"We are heading there now, but we just got done with a case, we haven't slept in days. Can't someone else do it?" There was a beat of silence. "Garth, can't someone else do it, man? We're freakin' beat."

"It's pretty hectic out there right now, since the angels fell...there's just a lot...going on..." Garth trailed off and Dean glanced at Sam.

"Yea, yea, we'll be home-" Dean was interrupted as a giant bolt of lightning struck a tree, which caused it to crash into the road. "Son of a bitch!" Dean swerved to miss it and dropped the phone to put his hand back on the wheel. He began to feel the wheels give up their grip on the wet road. "Dammit!" He corrected the other way and the tires squealed in protest. He made it around the tree but the car went into a spin because of the over correction. Dean felt Sam fall into him as the car swerved violently. The car somehow came to a stop mere inches from the tree, although the Impala now faced the opposite direction. Dean was out of breath and his heart was racing. "I should lay off diner burgers," he mumbled, a hand on his chest. He looked at Sam, who seemed to be dazed but okay.

"What the hell was that?!" Dean gestured toward the tree.

"I don't know, Sammy, I just thought we needed a little excitement." Sam returned Dean's flippant answer with an eye roll.

"Guys! Hey, are you okay? Dean?" A tiny voice came from the floor near Dean's feet. He fumbled around and finally found his phone.

"We're fine. Send what you have to Sam."

"Okay, when-" Dean hung up on Garth and threw the phone in the backseat.

"I'm changing my number and if someone finds it, I'm not answering." He carefully turned the car around.

"What'd he want?"

"We've got a case. He's sending the stuff over. Apparently it's near the bunker." He looked at Sam. "You okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine." Sam pulled his laptop out of its bag and powered it on. "Looks like a man was killed in his home, all doors were locked, and it appeared that he'd been bitten by something." Sam squinted at the screen. "I'll have to look closer when we get to the bunker, but it almost looks like a vamp bite. Weird."

"Why's that weird?" Sam shrugged.

"That's not really a vamp's M.O., right? A locked house in a nice neighborhood, just to leave it behind? Something could have gone wrong, but that's too good of a target to just leave the dude laying there. I dunno." He shut his laptop and put it back in its bag. "I'll look at it more when we get home." Home. That word still felt foreign to Dean, an impossibility that would eventually be taken away.

"Yea, home...why don't you try to go back to sleep? We've still got a couple hours." Sam put his forehead against the cool window and watched the rain come down.

"Yea, sure, Dean," he replied quietly. Dean threw a worried look towards him but said nothing. The Impala sped through the rain, carrying the boys home in silence.

* * *

When she woke again, the ringing in her ears was gone, and her vision was no longer blurry. She noticed a glass of water on the nightstand and realized she couldn't remember the last time she'd drank anything. She shifted herself into as much of a sitting position as her bindings would allow and tried to reach the glass. Her fingertips brushed the slick glass but it sat just out of reach. She tried again and cried out in pain when her shoulder twinged in warning. She sat back against the headboard and tried to catch her breath. She still couldn't see anything that could tell her where she was, but she did notice a door she hadn't seen before.

"There's another door. Good. Remember that door," she mumbled to herself. "Who am I...who am I..." She closed her eyes and repeated the phrase like a mantra. "Who...am...I..." A face popped into her mind, a handsome thin face with a shock of unruly black hair and hazel eyes. "Benjamin." She'd been with Benjamin when she'd been taken. "Benjamin...Benjamin...who am I...who." She squeezed her eyes shut tight and tried to push down the panic slowly easing its way into her chest. She could feel her chest tighten and it was getting harder to breath. "No, not now...not now...what do you see?" She scanned the room. Lamp. Table. Curtains. Nightstand. Bed. "What do you feel?" Sheet. Leather...she couldn't do it. She had no range of motion, no way to reach out and touch anything. She could feel the tears coming. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." She began pulling as hard as she could on the leather cuffs, so hard that she eventually felt something warm trickling down her arm. She was bleeding. She began to cry then, huge, wracking sobs that shook her to the core. "My name is Ava...I'm Ava..." she said with each sob, each repetition becoming more and more quiet. "I'm...Ava." She sunk down and closed her eyes. She was out of tears, exhausted, and she had no idea what she was going to do.

 _Ava had fallen into a fitful sleep. She dreamt of coming home just to find that the front door was standing open, but only enough to see if you were directly on the porch. She gently nudged it open, her heart pounding a loud rhythm in her ears. She flipped the light switch, but the house remained swathed in darkness. "Ben?" She called out softly. "I'm home, where are you? She snapped her head to the left when she heard a sound from the kitchen. "Ben?" She slowly walked towards the sound. Maybe he was listening to music. Ben did that while he cooked. As she turned the corner, she found Ben tied to a kitchen chair and gagged. His eyes grew wide when he saw her. He began to shake his head violently and yelling incoherently through the tape. "Oh my God, Ben..." She ran towards him, but felt a large hand clamp around her upper arm._

 _"Well, look who's home!"_

Shejerked awake, her breath caught in her throat. As her eyes adjusted, she saw the tall, slender man had sprawled himself in the chair by the window.

"You're awake." He casually stood and strode to the bed, and looked down at her. "My, what did you do to your wrists? You've got blood everywhere." The man clucked his tongue. "We will take care of that later. Do you remember my name, sweetheart?" Ava looked at him but didn't answer. "It's Sebastian. You'll do well to remember that." He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand. She jerked it away but he pulled her back, his grip so tight and painful she truly thought he could break her wrist with just one hand. "I think we should start by setting some ground rules. How does that sound?" Sebastian did not release his grip on Ava's arm, and she could tell it was going to be bruised. "I am trying to make this as simple for you as I can. I want you to be happy. So, I need you to do a few things for me. For instance, if I ask a question, I expect an answer. I may need you intact, but it certainly doesn't mean I can't have any fun with you. Struggling is simply out of the question," he glanced at her bloody arms, "but I'll let your little transgression slide this time since we didn't talk about my expectations." He paused and looked at her hungrily. For the first time since she'd seen him, Ava really looked at Sebastian. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black, and it was hard to even differentiate between his irises and his pupils. His soft hair laid gently across his forehead in wisps of coal black and the ends curled ever so slightly. It curled around his ears gently, and was long enough that it brushed the collar of his shirt. He was dangerously handsome, pale, and a dark shadow of bristle graced his chin. He was thin, but his well-tailored clothes accentuated his muscled form. His eyes narrowed under well trimmed eyebrows for a moment and then he smiled. It was a cold smile which did not quite reach his eyes, and revealed teeth that seemed a little too sharp to be normal. "If you follow these expectations, we shouldn't have any problems! So I'll ask again. What is your name?" Ava looked at him defiantly but said nothing. "Oh, sweet girl. Your bravery, although a quality I admire and a trait that will make this whole thing much easier as you will certainly need it, will not be useful right now. It is not in your best interest to abuse my patience." His hand slid up slowly to caress her face. "Let's try this one more time. What...is...your...name?" Ava swallowed nervously as she felt a cold knot of fear tighten in her stomach. Despite her fear, she remained silent. His cold, slender fingers were at her throat in a moment, and she could have sworn his eyes had flashed a bright blue before the color was swallowed back up by his almost black irises. His grip tightened around her throat hard enough to bruise and make it difficult to breathe but not enough to actually cut off her air supply and licked his lips. "Okay, well it doesn't really matter anyway. I was hoping to have a nice conversation, but obviously I was mistaken." He shoved his hand hard against her throat, which slammed her head into the wrought iron headboard behind her. Hot white stars flashed across her vision and for a moment, between the shock of the blow and the pain, she thought she would pass out. As swiftly as he had shoved her into the headboard, he had stood and crossed the room in the same motion. He was so incredibly fast. He grabbed the chair and a bag that she hadn't noticed before, then slammed the chair next to the bed and sat down. "You don't have to say a word really, but I was very much hoping we would be friendly enough to share." As he opened the bag, she realized it was her bag. He fished around for a moment and pulled out an embroidered wallet. "This is beautiful! Did you do this?" Her nod was barely perceptible but he caught it and flashed a smile. "See, that's my girl! All I want is a little participation." His fingers ran gently over the soft thread, tracing the pattern. "Where did you come up with this design?" he asked softly as he briefly glanced at her before looking back down at the wallet. She swallowed painfully.

"It just came into my head." Speaking was torture. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she'd had anything to drink, but every word, every swallow burned. It felt as if someone had taken sandpaper to her throat. Her voice was barely above a whisper but her reply seemed to please Sebastian.

"Interesting." He opened the wallet and perused the contents. He found her drivers license and tossed the rest on the nightstand. "Ava Rosalyn Walker." He whistled quietly to himself. "That is a beautiful name. Old. Do you know what Ava means, where it came from?" She shook her head. "Ah, well let me educate you. Ava is an old name, and it can be found in different cultures, across different time periods. It has its own cultural meanings as it crosses the oceans, spanning centuries. Of course, you were probably named after Ava Gardner, stunning woman in her own right and an absolute delight to watch perform, but it's actual origins appear much earlier than that. Some say that it may be from the Latin word 'avis', meaning bird. Common consensus though is that it is a shortened version of the Hebrew word 'chava', meaning life or living one. The Old English have a name that is similar, Avalyn, which means breath of life." He fell silent as he stared at the license. "Although unplanned, this little plot twist changes things...for the better though, my dear, don't worry." He looked up and met her bright blue-green eyes with his black ones and a chill went down her spine. "I see you're an organ donor. I truly am having a magnificent stroke of luck."


	2. The One Where Things Take A Dark Turn

***Disclaimer-Supernatural and its characters are still owned by the CW and all the people who were smart enough to create them and unfortunately this wasn't me. OC is mine though, so yay for creative license. This is rated M for eventual sexual content (talk about a slow burn), language, and violence. There are descriptions/mentions of sexual assault, although not super graphic, so if that's something that will bother you please skip over this because I don't want to make you sad. Also, this is the first time I've written a fanfic that has seen the light of day, so bare with me while I get used to it. Please rate, review, download, favorite, whatever it is you cool kids do. I hope you enjoy! :) ***

* * *

Sam rubbed a hand across his tired eyes and leaned back in his chair. Garth, despite his peculiar ways of research and dealing with the brothers, was good at what he did. Although there wasn't a lot of information about _what_ they were hunting, he had done a good job of finding people for them to interview, places to check, autopsy reports and photos of previous victims, a pretty detailed timeline, and a list of places and people to reference for lore if they needed. If Garth was nothing else, he was thorough. Sam had been staring at autopsy photos, and each one seemed to get more and more graphic. Over the past year, five women had been taken, and all five had been found in various states of decomposition. Each one had been tortured to varying degrees, and at least two of them had been sexually assaulted before they were killed. That was the first thing that threw Sam off. Vampires, although known to enjoy partaking in alcohol, drugs, and sex, didn't torture and just throw the person out like garbage, at least not like this. If possible they just turned them and made them part of their nest. If they killed someone, intentionally or not, it was a traditional body dump.

These crime scenes were brutal, and according to the police reports, they were just the secondary scenes. Sam closed his laptop and, discovering that his beer was empty, wandered into the bunkers huge kitchen to grab another. The second thing that he had thought was odd were the choice of victims. The women had nothing in common. There were no distinguishing physical features that tied them together, their backgrounds were different, and even their addresses provided no sense of a pattern. To top it off, the sixth victim, and the one that Garth had pinpointed as an anomaly (Sam had to give it to him, he was a genius at patterns), was male. He had been tortured and beaten before his throat had been slit and he was unceremoniously dumped in an abandoned lot. Although the sexual assault component was missing, the body had several bite marks and, like the others, was mostly drained of blood which brought Sam back to the vampire theory.

"What the hell is going on?" he mumbled to himself as he grabbed another beer, oblivious to his brother as he entered the room.

"Who are you talking to, Sasquatch?" Sam grunted in response as he twisted the cap off his beer.

"This case, man. It's weird," Sam said as he tossed the last beer to Dean. Dean sat at the table and took a sip. Sam leaned against the counter and watched his brother for a moment. He looked exhausted and Sam sighed knowing that rest was still far off for the two. Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Are you gonna tell me or are you wanting to play twenty questions?" Sam cleared his throat.

"Sorry. Okay, so about a year ago, a girl named Isabella Martin disappeared. She was there one day, and then the next she was gone. The only thing missing other than her was her purse. Her clothes, phone, keys…all of it was left behind. After searching for a couple of weeks, the police were lost. She was a good kid, had a nice job, never been in trouble. The case went cold and a month after she disappeared, a construction worker found her naked body inside a barrel on a job site. She'd been tortured; cuts all over, broken bones, bruises, you name it. According to the coroner's report, she'd only been dead a day or so. A couple of days after the first body is found, a second girl named Abagail Barnes disappeared. Same scenario. Two months later, she was found at a park about fifteen minutes from where she was last seen. She'd also been tortured and had only been dead about three or four days. A few more days pass, another girl disappears. Every couple of months, someone else would disappear and then turn up dead. The time frame was getting longer in between, but the torture was getting worse, and the last two female victims were sexually assaulted before death." Dean paled slightly, but remained quiet for a moment.

"Last two female victims? Was there a dude?" Sam nodded.

"Yea, and that's when Garth caught on. Three days ago, a man named Benjamin Taylor disappeared. The difference, though, is that there was an actual crime scene at his apartment and they found his body way faster, earlier today actually. He'd been tortured, but not quite to the same degree. He'd also been beaten, was covered in bite marks, and his throat was slit. He had only been dead a few hours when he was found in an abandoned lot by a group of kids." Dean leaned back in his chair.

"How is this our problem?" he asked as he stared Sam down. Sam cross his arms.

"What do you mean 'how is this our problem?'? Six people are dead." Dean rolled his eyes.

"And that's terrible. I hope they catch the son of a bitch that did it, but this isn't our fight. We hunt monsters, Sam, not serial killers." Sam slammed his beer bottle on the counter.

"We don't know that that is what's happening! What about the bite marks? What about-"

"It's some sick bastard with a biting fetish, who gets off on raping women and killing them. He's a monster, but not the kind we fight, Sammy." Dean pushed himself away from the table and headed for the door. Sam picked up the beer bottle and threw it. It struck the far wall and shattered, beer and glass flying everywhere.

"Don't call me Sammy!" he bellowed, which stopped Dean in his tracks. Sam was staring at him, his hazel eyes tired and dark. He was trembling slightly and his hands were curled in tight fists at his sides. As quick as the moment started, it was over. Sam slumped against the counter. "Dammit, Dean. Something is going on. We are driving to Wichita tomorrow and we are going to the morgue to look at the most recent victim and talk to the coroner. You should probably get some sleep. It's almost a three hour drive and you look tired." Dean narrowed his eyes at his baby brother, wanting nothing more than to tear him a new one. Instead, he angrily strode past Sam.

"Fine," he hissed and disappeared down the hall. Sam sighed then began cleaning up the mess he had made.

* * *

Dean stalked through the halls of the bunker and flung the door open to his room. He slammed it shut behind him and went straight for the whiskey on his desk. He immediately tossed back a glass, filled it a second time, then sat heavily on his bed. He was angry. He wasn't even sure why he was angry. The guy Sam described _was_ a monster. But they couldn't fight everything, and he was tired. He felt guilty at being mad at Sam, especially since he was just trying to help someone, but Dean had had enough. He was exhausted and he knew that Sam was even worse off. For once, they had a place to call home. They had their own rooms, beds that were heaven compared to what they had spent most of their lives on, and privacy. They could sleep without fear of someone breaking in and attacking, they didn't have to stay in the Impala hours on end. Dean had learned that, with an actual kitchen at his disposal, he was a really good cook. That's all he wanted. He and Sam had earned it, and yet here they were. He was tired of fighting, and he wasn't just thinking about demons and ghosts. He finished off his second drink and considered a third.

"Ah hell, why not? Tomorrow is going to suck anyway." He poured another, then started at the rich amber liquid in his glass. "It's a wild goose chase, you know? I get that people died, but we don't stop human murderers. Well…except the Benders. That was a thing. But I'm not Derek Morgan, leave that shit up to the BAU." He chuckled to himself, took another sip of whiskey, and looked up to the ceiling. "Cas, buddy, we need you. Maybe you can zap a little common sense into that hard as hell skull of Sam's. Or just knock us both out for a few days so we actually get some sleep. How 'bout that, buddy?" He paused. "Cas, can you hear me?" He was greeted with nothing but silence. "Of course not. I'm just sitting here talking to myself like a dumbass." Dean leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes. "I'm not even sure why I try. Hopeless romantic, I suppose…" he trailed off as his eyes slipped shut and he fell asleep, his glass tilting haphazardly in his hand, the liquid shimmering in the soft light of his lamp.

* * *

Ava stared at Sebastian, eyes wide as she contemplated what he had just said.

"Why does that matter?" Sebastian gathered up her wallet, placed the license back inside, then slid the wallet back into her bag.

"What?" He looked at her innocently.

"Why does being an organ donor matter?" Sebastian smile, and for a moment he seemed embarrassed, his harsh features softened by an almost boyish grin.

"Oh, it just means you're a really giving person. You are, aren't you? You seem like you would be." She swallowed painfully and her eyes shot quickly to the glass of water before resting back on his face. "You must be parched! I didn't even think…I don't really drink a lot of water, so I forget that others aren't the same." He gently tilted the water to her lips. The cold water spilled painfully down her dry throat, but she thought it might be the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted. He pulled the glass away and a quiet moan escaped her. She was still so thirsty. "Ava, if you drink too much, too fast, you'll get sick. We must pace ourselves.' He sat the glass gently back on the nightstand, again just out of her reach should she try to get it again. His attention went back to her bag. "What is this?" His hand disappeared and brought out a black canvas bound book. Her sketchbook.

"Please…" She wanted to take it from Sebastian, but she knew the consequences would probably be worse than not answering one of his questions. He noticed her discomfort and smiled again, his expression cold.

"Something important, I take it?" He began flipping through the pages. "A sketchbook. You…you are very good." He had stopped flipping and was staring at the book intently. "This is your boyfriend, isn't it?" He flipped it around where she could see it and tapped the page. "What was his name?" She felt her heart skip a beat as she caught what Sebastian had said. He'd said 'was'. He leaned closer, his face inches from hers. "Ava, don't forget the rules. What…was…his…name?"

"Benjamin…his name was Benjamin." She stared into Sebastian's black eyes as tears formed in her own. "What did you do to him? Where is he?" He laid the sketchbook down, and traced her collarbone with a gentle finger.

"Benjamin had other business to tend to. Unfortunately, he wasn't nearly as good at following the rules as you are. We had…complications." His hand slid further down and stopped to cup her breast gently. He leaned in and his voice dropped to a whisper. "He didn't want me to have any fun. Quite selfish, Benjamin. I could have really used his help, but don't worry, he still came in quite handy." His thumb had begun to make lazy circles and she felt as though she would throw up as she felt his hand through her thin shirt. He shifted so that he was facing her completely, and with his free hand, he pulled her face to his. His mouth worked against hers and she tried to pull away. He moved in harder, and when she didn't quit struggling against him, he bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood. He pulled back and grinned, her blood bright against his pale lips. He put a finger to the wound and then, while she watched with shocked, morbid curiosity, he licked the blood from his fingertip. His eyes closed and he sighed. "That is lovely. You…Ava, you are divine." He stood up then and fell back against the headboard. "Are you hungry? I bet you are hungry. I will go whip up something for you. I'll be back soon, pet." He walked towards the door, then paused and looked at her over his shoulder. "Don't worry about Benjamin. I'm sure that someone has found him by now." He shut the door behind him and Ava crumpled, unconsciousness her only escape.


	3. The One Where Sam Is Right

****Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters, although if I did, that would be pretty sweet. This is rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations, both consensual or not. The non-consensual will not be very graphic, but the rest will be eventual smut and I'd say I'm sorry, but let's be honest...I'm kind of not. lol If any of that offends you, this might not be for you. I really have enjoyed creating Sebastian, and I hope that you guys enjoy it too...even if he is a grade A asshole. Please review, follow, favorite, all that good stuff. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Dean had been quiet the entire drive. They'd barely spoken while they packed the car, and when Sam noticed the smell of alcohol on him first thing in the morning, Dean was quick to tell him to sit and spin on it before Sam even said anything. So, they'd spent the three hour drive to Wichita in silence. Sam had spent the time combing through reports to see if there were any patterns he'd missed the night before. The car slowed to a stop and Sam looked up to see they had arrived at the coroner's office. Sam dug around in the glove box, pulled out two sets of credentials, and tossed one to Dean.

"FBI?" Sam nodded.

"Yea, Agent Tyler, sure are." He paused. "Are you okay?" Dean rolled his eyes and popped a couple of aspirin and chased them with a mint.

"I'm peachy keen, brother. Let's get this over with." He strode off towards the building and Sam had to jog to catch up.

"Fine...right," Sam muttered and Dean stopped short.

"You got something to say, Dr. Phil?" he snapped.

"What is your problem? We have taken cases with way less information and you've been fine. Hell, you're the one that usually insists on it. Why are you being such an ass about this?" The muscles in Dean's jaw clenched as he tried to from tearing into Sam.

"Sam, I am tired. We have gone non-stop since the trials and the angels falling. Why does it always have to be us? Fun fact, it doesn't need to be. Yet here we are, chasing after some sick bastard that just kills for the hell of it. So can we just go in here, get this over with, and go home?" Sam looked like he wanted to argue but instead he shoved past Dean and into the building.

"You must be Agent Perry, " the coroner said as he shook Sam's hand and turned to Dean. "And Agent Tyler?" Dean nodded. "Well, it's nice to meet you, boys. I'm Dr. Jim Meade. This one is a doozy. Could use all the help I can get."

"Well, we sure hope we can help. We don't want to step on any toes, but six bodies is a bit of a body count to ignore." Dr. Meade nodded.

"We have a decent department here, agents. They're good at what they do. But this...this has been hard for even the most tenured officers. It's been...brutal." Dean cleared his throat.

"Have you ever seen a murder like these before? Could they be related to anything, a cold case or something?" Meade shook his head.

"No, sir, nothing like this. We've had our fair share of violence, mostly gang related, but even the one-offs can't compare to these last six. I've never seen anything like it." His voice broke and Sam glanced at Dean. The coroner cleared his throat and walked over to one of the slabs. A sheet covered it, and Sam tensed, knowing that if the seasoned coroner had a hard time dealing with it, it wasn't going to be pleasant. He swept the sheet back and Sam heard Dean groan. The brothers had seen a lot of violence, their own friends torn apart, blown up and tortured, not to mention what they'd been through and had to do. But nothing prepared them for what they saw. This wasn't a monster randomly tearing into someone, or a ghost looking for revenge. The injuries to this man were deliberate. He had obviously been beaten; both eyes were swollen almost completely shut his lips were both split, and the right side of his face was a rainbow of black, blue, and purple.

But it was more than that. The man had been practically filleted. And not just random strokes, but expertly made cuts that caused the most damage while drawing out the torture. Large strips of flesh were missing, exposing the muscle and nerves beneath. Deep cuts covered the flesh that hadn't been removed and were deep enough to strike bone. He had been split open from sternum to belly button. Sam leaned forward to look at the wound.

"Was there anything missing?" Meade pulled the skin back further and Dean had to look away.

"Nothing is missing, but take a closer look. What do you see?" Sam stared for a moment, brows knitted in concentration. Meade gave Sam a grim smile when he looked back up at him, a mixture of confusion and horror on his face.

"Really? Did the killer do this?" The older man nodded. "Dean, you need to look at this." Dean looked at Sam sharply at Sam's casual use of his real first name.

"I don't think I need to, it seems like you have it under control-" Sam nudged him forward, interrupting him.

"Look." Dean sighed and looked down. He wasn't well versed in anatomy, but he'd seen enough to be dangerous. Despite the roiling, uneasy feeling of his stomach threatening to rebel against him, he stared, trying to spot what was wrong with the gruesome scene in front of him.

"Isn't the appendix supposed to be on the right side?"

"That's not all. Every single organ is exactly where it is supposed to be, but on the opposite side. All the cuts were made with surgical precision and missed every major artery. Even the pieces that were flayed were down with an extremely sharp scalpel, and then were cauterized before he moved to the next section." Dean looked up in surprise.

"You mean to tell me he was alive when this was happening? The entire time?"

"Yes, for a majority of it. I'm not sure how he managed to keep him alive while he switched the organs, but all signs point to him being so. Although it's my professional opinion that he didn't last long after that. The throat being slit seems to be an afterthought. I think Benjamin here eventually went into shock, and the suspect got bored." Dean snorted.

"Oh, sure, get bored and slit someone's throat. Jesus." Sam gestured to a group of markings near his throat.

"Are those bite marks?" Meade sighed.

"Son, I honestly...I don't know. I'm inclined to say yes, but I've never seen anything like it. That's what is going on the report, it's the only thing it could be." Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

"What about the girls? Were they tortured like this guy?" He shook his head.

"Not quite. Don't get me wrong, they went through it. They'd been beaten, cut up, bitten. Each one seemed to get worse. The flaying and the organ swap were missing on all the women, but the last two girls were sexually assaulted, probably multiple times. Mr. Taylor had been bound, but more like to a chair or something upright a majority of the time. There was some rope burn and bruising around his torso and wrists. All five girls appeared to have been shackled to something while lying down. Their wrists and ankles were deeply bruised, but I believe he is using something soft, like leather cuffs." He threw the sheet back over the body. "Like I said, you have your work cut out for you." Sam smiled gently and Dean had to hold back a grin. He could always tell when Sam was getting ready to turn on the charm, those patented puppy dog eyes that almost always got him what he wanted.

"Dr. Meade, we need to get all the files you have for these cases, is there any way you could help us with that right now? We have some other interviews to conduct." He nodded.

"Sure thing, son. It's going to take awhile, there's a lot." Sam smiled in earnest now.

"That's not a problem, sir." Meade left the brothers, and before the door could even fully close behind him, Sam had flipped the sheet back again and was looking closely at the bite marks on Ben's neck. Dean made a face.

"Dude, how? How are you not ralphing all over him? That's disgusting." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Someone had to do it, and since you're being such a bitch about it, I thought I might try,." He covered the body back up. "Well, they look like vamp bites, but I don't think they are. And you aren't going to like what I think it is."

"You'd better say human, Sammy." Sam shook his head.

"I'd love to, but no." Dean narrowed his eyes.

"I'm getting real sick of you making me guess. What the hell is it?"

"I think it might be a vetala."

* * *

"Rise and shine, Ava! It's time to get some food in you!" Ava had to practically force her eyelids open. They were gritty and dry from crying, and all she wanted was to go back to sleep. Sebastian had laid the tray across her lap. On it sat a glass of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal, and a small vase with a single lily in it. He smiled. "It's not much, but I thought we should take it slow. You haven't eaten in days." He helped her sit up and placed a pillow behind her. "I hope you like oatmeal. I added honey and cinnamon...one of my favorites." He settled in next to her and picked up a spoon. "May I?" Ava nodded weakly, sickened by the thought of him feeding her but so hungry that she forced herself not to care. He carefully spooned oatmeal into her mouth. Ava had to admit that it was delicious. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Delicious, isn't it? It's been...passed down, you could say,. Simple, but very tasty. He held the orange juice to her mouth and she grimaced as the citrus hit her throat. "Whoa, slow down." He sat the glass on the tray. "Maybe we should have stuck with water. He smiled and tucked a rouge strand of hair behind her ear.

"What happened to Ben?" Ava looked at Sebastian and he looked away, absently swirling the spoon in the oatmeal. "What happened? Sebastian sighed.

"You don't really want to talk about that right now, do you? I thought we'd have a nice breakfast, talk a little bit before..." He trailed off.

"Before what? Why am I here and what did you do to Benjamin?" Sebastian looked at her for a moment, dark eyes narrowed. He slammed the spoon on the tray and shoved it off the bed and into the floor. Everything scattered as it hit the stone floor, glass shards and food going everywhere.

"You are determined to ruin this wonderful day I had planned, aren't you?" he snapped. "Fine. If telling you will get it out of your system, then I guess we will just have to go out of order. But don't blame me if you're too upset to enjoy the rest of the day." He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and to Ava's surprise, it looked familiar.

"Is that-"

"Ben's? Yes, I ran out of storage on mine. I'm a sucker for those Candy Crush games and selfies." He unlocked it and began scrolling through pictures. "I adore this one." He flipped the phone to face her and she bit back a sob. It was a picture of her and Ben on a recent hiking trip. Ben had taken it, his long arms the only way they'd both be in the picture. Ava was smiling at the camera, eyes squeezed shut as she laughed at something he said, her long blonde hair blown back by the wind. He wasn't looking at the camera, but at Ava. His eyes shone as he watched her laugh, and Ava remembered never having felt so loved. "That's happiness. I bet most people don't appreciate that enough." He turned the phone back and flipped through more pictures. "I wonder, did you appreciate it, Ava?" He smiled. "Here we go!" He turned the phone around and Ava immediately closed her eyes. Sebastian gripped her face tightly. "I will not ask more than once. Look." Ava slowly opened her eyes, and the scene that greeted her was far worse than she could have anticipated. Ben was tied to a chair in their kitchen, just like in her dream, but was far more bloody and beaten. His head hung against his chest, and his arms, which had been tied when she had seen him, hung limply by his sides. They were covered in blood and she could tell that he'd been cut up badly. It was hard to tell if he was still alive in the photo, but for his sake, she hoped that he hadn't been. She shook her head.

"But why? Why do that to him?" Sebastian began scrolling through pictures again.

"Well first, he hit me. Of course, he really didn't do much damage, but it was annoying. And also it was just rude. Second, I wanted you. And boy, let me tell you, he did _not_ like that. I even told him that we could share, but that didn't seem to interest him either." His face lit up. "I forgot about this one!" He turned it to her one last time. Ava felt as if she would be sick. Ben was laid out on a table, his midsection bare and bloody. Sebastian stood behind him, holding his head up by the hair, smiling his cold style, holding a scalpel and giving a thumbs up. He had taken a selfie with Ben as he laid there dead or dying. "Selfies, I told you! I can't get enough of them. I guess technically it's not, it was on a timer...you know what, that doesn't really matter." He shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"I think I'm going to be sick, " Ava muttered. She leaned over the bed and retched, the meager breakfast she'd had leaving just as quickly as she'd eaten it. Her shoulder ached as she leaned as far as her binding would allow, nothing but bile left to ride herself of. Sebastian looked at her with a combination of confusion and disgust.

"See, I knew that could have waited. I forget your kind have that unfortunate...function." He grimaced. "Very unpleasant." Ava leaned back and fought to catch her breath. She glared at Sebastian,.

"What did you expect? You killed...no...tortured and killed the one person that meant anything to me, and then showed me-" Her head snapped to her right as he slapped her, hard. She looked at Sebastian with wide, wet eyes. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ava. It's just...that's negative talk. I supposed you don't realize it yet, but I'll mean something to you soon, too. More than you know. Maybe even more than Ben. I'll explain soon, I promise." He ran his fingers gently over the red mark his slap had left. "This will be worth it. You'll see." He leaned in and kissed her, much more gently than before, and sighed. "Now," he said as he bent to pick up the discarded tray and pieces of glass, "I'm going to get you some supplies. Ava hated to ask, but he was looking at her expectantly and her face was still stinging from the last slap.

"What supplies?" He grinned.

"Drawing supplies, of course! I'd like for you to draw my portrait. If you're _very_ good and you do that, I may let you have a little more freedom. I'm sure that this room is getting a bit boring, isn't it?" She nodded. "That settles it then. Behave yourself, and maybe we'll have ourselves a little field trip." She had already begun thinking of ways to use it to her advantage when he paused and looked back at her. "I'd be careful how much plotting you do while I'm gone. It's going to be much easier to care for a child if you still have all of your limbs." With that, he quietly left, and Ava stared after him with eyes wide, wondering what he meant.


	4. The One Where Dean Is Taken By Surprise

****Disclaimer: Supernatural is owned by the CW and whoever else is involved and not me. Ava and Sebastian are mine, though, so if they'd like to maybe use them, it wouldn't make me sad. Again, this is rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations. There will be mention of sexual assault, although not super detailed, so if that's something that will upset you, you may want to skip over it. There will also be consensual situations that will be slightly more detailed (who are we kidding, there's gonna be some smut), so keep that in mind too. I want to thank those that have started following this story. It's the first time I've written anything like this, and I truly hope ya'll are enjoying it. Let me know what you think, and I hope you stick around to see what happens to the boys and Ava. :) ****

* * *

"So explain this to me again." Dean put the car in park across the street from Benjamin's house. Sam sighed.

"You've hunted vetala before, Dean, it's not anything new." Dean shrugged.

"Sure doesn't seem normal. So explain again why you think that's what it is. Because right now all I'm seeing is some freaky asshat with jacked up teeth making a buffet out of people." Sam flipped open the top folder on his lap and shuffled through the pictures. He found the one he wanted and handed it to Dean.

"Look." Dean grabbed it roughly from him and stared at it. He had to admit, the bite marks looked slightly off compared to vamp teeth. He thought back to the last time they had faced a pair of vetala. He shook his head.

"Even if that's what the teeth look like, and _just shut your hole_ because I haven't agreed with you yet, _even_ if that's what it looks like, everything else is wrong." He handed the photo back to Sam. "They hunt in pairs, Sammy. They feed on blood and drop the bodies. They don't keep them for months and they certainly don't torture them."

"Dad hunted a lone vetala," Sam said, trying not to sound pouty but failing. Dean scoffed.

"Yea, but that was before you even went to Stanford. Seeing vetalas in pairs is rare enough. We've seen 'em, what, like twice? Never mind seeing one hunting alone. They work better in pairs. And the ones we've seen have been female anyway." Dean paused. "Which honestly that's a little weird, but by no means does that prove anything. If anything, it proves _my_ point."

"What about the blood? The coroner said they had been pretty low on blood..." Dean rolled his eyes.

"After the torture they went through, I'm surprised they had any blood left."

"Let's just go inside and see if we can find anything, okay?"

"Fine. But I'm telling you right now, if we don't find anything, we are leaving." Dean climbed out of the car and headed towards the house.

"Fine." Dean kept watch as Sam carefully cut the crime scene tape that sealed the door and picked the lock. The door swung open quietly and the younger Winchester slid inside. From the foyer, everything seemed was a coat rack in the corner, framed artwork on the walls. Most of them appeared to be original pieces. Dean raised an eyebrow and whistled.

"That's an original sketch from the Walking Dead comic." Sam looked at him, somewhat dumbfounded.

"What?" Dean pointed.

"Walking Dead. Bicycle zombie girl. That's an original, it's signed." Sam continued to stare at him.

"How in the hell did you know that, Dean?" His brother shrugged.

"I have a particular set of skills." Sam opened his mouth to tell Dean just what kind of skills he had when Dean pointed over his shoulder. Sam turned to follow his brother's gaze and his eyes landed on a bloody smear on the door frame. "Guess we know where the party started, huh?" They walked into the kitchen and Dean stopped abruptly, causing Sam to nearly plow him over.

"Dude, what-" Sam's words trailed off. The kitchen was covered in blood. At first glance, it looked like the walls were painted a rust red, until you looked closer and realized you could still see the original light blue paint. The island in the middle of the kitchen was obviously where they had spent the most time, although there was a blood splattered chair kicked over at the other end of the kitchen.

"Holy shit." Sam just nodded in agreement, his words failing him. They'd seen some bloody scenes, but this one was different somehow. All the knives that had been left at the scene had been collected as evidence, but you could still see their outlines on the counter and in the sink. "We have seen some screwed up shit, but this is a bit much." Sam grimaced.

"Just think, he was alive for most of this. Why fight that hard? There had to be something keeping him from giving up." Dean's eyes widened.

"Not something. _Someone_." He passed through the kitchen, ignoring how his feet stuck to the blood on the floor, and made his way into the living room. He saw a couple of framed photos on the mantle. "See, Sammy, I told you. It's always someone-" he trailed off as he picked up one of the pictures. The guy from the morgue had taken the photo, his arms stretched out in order to get both people in the frame. It was the girl that had stopped him in his tracks, her reckless smile and smattering of freckles across her nose that had knocked the air from his lungs. Her long blonde hair blew in the wind, and her eyes were squeezed shut as she laughed, probably at something Ben had said. Dean knew because he had a similar picture of his own, one Sam didn't even know about, one he'd kept his own little secret. A moment of happiness so rare in their world that he didn't want to share it with anyone else. The girl in the picture looked shockingly like his own moment of happiness, so much so that when Sam caught up to him and asked him what was wrong, he said only one word. "Jo." Sam's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What?" He looked over Dean's shoulder. "Oh wow, she does look like Jo." He picked up the second frame and studied it for a moment. "Man, they could be sisters. That's almost unsettling." Dean remained silent, still staring at the photo in his hand. Sam looked back at his brother and was surprised by how pale Dean had become, and noticed he was gripping the frame so tightly that his knuckles were white. "Dean," he said softly, "what's wrong?" Dean blinked slowly, cleared his throat, and sat the picture back on the mantle.

"Nothin', Sam. I'm fine." Just like that, the moment was over. "Let's look around, see what else we can find. Did the police mention a second person that was missing or any suspects at all?" Sam shook his head.

"No, not a word. Maybe they thought she was involved, although that seems highly unlikely." Sam moved over to the coffee table and picked up a magazine. "Ava Walker. Hmm..." He flipped it back over and looked at it. "She's into abandoned places." Dean grunted.

"I don't see why anyone would be. Places like that get you killed."

"Yea, Dean, but not everyone knows that the thing that goes bump in the night is actually real." He tossed the magazine down and walked towards the bathroom. He flipped the light on. It looked like what you'd expect a bathroom that was shared by a couple to look like, except for the splash of blood in the tub. "This guy was busy."

"Sam, I think busy might be an understatement." Dean and Sam met back in the hallway. "Ready to go up?" Sam nodded and quietly followed his brother upstairs. The first room they came to appeared to be the master bedroom. Dean nudged the door. There was blood spattered around the room but it looked more like it was left while someone was looking for something. There were two desks in the room. One was neat and orderly, obviously someone's work station. It was sharp edges and metal and glass. The other desk was old, smooth wood, rounded where it used to be sharp from years of use. Although most of the surface was covered with bits of fabric, thread, and magnets with needles, it seemed organized, like the person had gone to great lengths to tame their chaos. Above the desk was a cork board full of notes and patterns, lists of supplies, and old receipts. Dean began going through the drawers, each its own little chaotic world, until he found a sketchbook. He flipped through it. It ranged from quick sketches and patterns to detailed portraits. The whole book had been filled, but it wasn't until near the very end that something caught his eye. He quit thumbing the pages and stared. The drawing in front of him was stunning. It was a devil's trap, thrown into a mosaic. Colors pulsed around the devil's trap, incantations that Sam probably had memorized written in beautiful, swirling handwriting. It was the last drawing in the book. "Sam..." he handed the book over. Sam ran his hand over the incantations before looking back at Dean.

"Who the hell is this girl, man?" Dean ignored the question as he wandered over to another board with more pictures. All the pictures were of Ava, Ben, or the two of them together. There weren't any friends or family pictured in any of them. She looked so much like Jo, even at different angles. He heard Sam dialing someone.

"Garth? Hey, man, it's Sam...yea, I'm good. You got a minute? Great...can you look up someone for me? Yea, we've got another missing person...yea, her name is Ava Walker...mmhmm...I know, we found some weird stuff and she's not here...I don't think she's the thing we're looking for though. I don't know man...can you ask around, see if anyone recognizes her or her name? Yea, thanks, we'll let you know." He hung up. Dean was still staring at the pictures. "Garth is going to check around." No answer. "Earth to Dean...hey!" Dean looked at him, realization crossing his features.

"No one knows she's missing, Sam. No one even realizes she's gone, there's not one person looking for her." Sam glanced at the pictures and then back to Dean.

"We know she's missing. We'll find her." Dean's mouth set into a thin, determined line.

"I'm catching the son of a bitch that is doing this, human or not." He stormed out of the house and Sam followed, glad that he was finally on board but confused as to what had changed his mind.

* * *

Ava was trying to think of what day it was and how long she'd been captive. The curtains made it impossible to tell the time of day, and since she had been unconscious initially, she had no point of reference. She heard the door sweep open and Sebastian entered the room, smiling and carrying several bags.

"I didn't know what you worked with best, so I just got a little of everything." He sat the bags on the table by the window and walked over to the bed. "Now, I'm going to let you free for a moment. Before you get any ideas, you'll be restrained at the table too, but just your ankles. One step at a time, you see. Can I trust you, pet?" She nodded slowly. She was pretty sure she was too weak to fight back anyway, but wanted to test just how weak she'd gotten since being chained up. Sebastian unlocked her cuffs and gently picked her up. "See? Not so bad." He placed her carefully in the chair and latched both ankles back into shackles. She sat with her hands crossed on her lap, afraid to move. He tilted his head. "Well go ahead, you can go through it." She slowly began pulling out the art supplies and organizing them.

"This is all very nice, thank you." Sebastian beamed.

"Of course! Did I forget anything?"

"I don't believe so. What exactly did you want me to do?" He shrugged.

"The only rule is that you draw me first. I want to see how you see me." Ava looked at Sebastian out of the corner of her eye as she grabbed a pencil to start and the sketchbook.

"Why does it matter how I see you?" Sebastian sat across from her and rested his chin in his hand.

"Oh, it's really important. I like to know how people feel, what makes them tick. Some ways are more efficient than others. I can't read you though. It's...frustrating." She smirked.

"Frustrating, huh?" She glanced up at Sebastian and wanted nothing more than to stab the pencil she was holding into his empty, black eye. Instead she started sketching the outline of his face, falling into a rhythm as she progressed.

"Where did you learn to do this?" She shrugged.

"Practice. I had a lot of time to myself growing up, so I taught myself. The library is a magnificent thing."

"So I'm assuming you did well in school?" She chuckled.

"Yea, sure. When I went. Doesn't matter much anyway, does it?"

"Sure. Beauty is wonderful, but intelligence is a part of beauty. I've always been intrigued by people, and the things they know has always been my favorite thing to learn about."

"Hmm...well, I hope I don't disappoint."

"Oh, so far you've been a true surprise. Far more than my previous guests, anyway." She began adding details to the outline.

"You've had other guests?"

"Sure, I've had several. They...didn't work out. We tried, of course. I'm not one to give up, but the girls were...lacking. Seemed like a waste, but what are you going to do?"

"What did you do with them?" When he didn't answer, she looked up and found him staring at her. She decided to toe the line. "If I have to answer questions, you do too." He switched his chin from one hand to the other and tilted his head.

"Is that so?" She nodded. "I'm not so sure my answer would be conducive to continuing this lovely conversation." Ava shrugged again, but remained silent, sketching out the details around his eyes and mouth. I killed them." She paused briefly, which he may have noticed, but continued without remark. "You probably want to know why. Truthfully, I don't know. I got bored. They weren't strong enough, and they whined, and my patience ran thin. I need someone strong, you see. Someone bright and beautiful, someone intelligent. I miscalculated the last five. It's amazing what a little stress can do to change a person." Ava's eyes widened slightly at the number, but she kept drawing. While Sebastian was talking, she had noticed a slight glint just under the nightstand. She was pretty sure it was a piece of glass from the tantrum he had thrown earlier. So she kept drawing, willing him to leave the room. She put the pencil down and looked at her work. Something was missing. "Are you done?"

"No, not quite." She pulled out a brush and some paint. "So exactly what is your plan?" Sebastian leaned back in his chair.

"Do you know what Nephilim are?" She shook her head.

"Not really. I read something about them a long time ago, but I wasn't really into the church scene." Sebastian smiled.

"Me neither, really. Short version, the sons of God mingled with the daughters of man and the daughters gave birth to the Nephilim. The offspring from an angel and a human are stronger than both. They are considered abominations by most, but I find the concept beautiful. It's a nice thought, right?"

"Sure, I guess. I've not about it much, but it's an interesting concept. So you are religious then? What's that got to do with me?' She laid her brush down.

"No, not really. And it has more to do with you than anything else that I've told you." He flipped the drawing around to face him. She had captured both his coldness and good looks to a T. The entire drawing was in black and white except for the eyes. They were a bright blue, with coal black, narrow pupils. He stared at it for a moment, then slowly looked up at her. "This is how you see me?"

"Yes. Is it wrong?" He looked at her, dark eyes intense. She'd begun to think she had pushed her luck too far.

"No, it's not." He clapped his hands together. "How about we try food again, shall we? Do you like sandwiches? I've got peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese...pick your poison.

"Peanut butter and jelly would be fine, thank you." Sebastian smiled.

"Fantastic. I'll be right back!" He left the room and she waited until the door shut before she scrambled across the floor towards the nightstand. Her fingers grazed the cool glass and her heart jumped. After what felt like several long minutes, she managed to get her fingers around it.

"Should have used shorter chains, asshole," she muttered. She began sawing at the leather with the shard, grimacing as every move cut deeper into her hand. "Come on, come on..." The cuff finally pulled free and a sob escaped her. She started working on the second one, but the glass was slick with her blood and she couldn't get a grip. "No, no, no...please, just a little more..." She dropped the glass and it broke. "No! Dammit!" She picked up the bigger of the two pieces and kept cutting. Her blood was dropping everywhere and between the sweat dripping off her brow and tears, she could barely see what she was doing. Before she could get the second cuff off, the door swung open.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian bellowed as he threw the tray and rushed her. There was nothing she could say, no lie she could tell. So she just looked at him in silence, the next few moments as if they were in slow motion. He finally reached her, grabbed her by the throat, and threw her so hard at the wall that it tore the remaining leather cuff where she had been sawing at it. "How...dare...you? After everything I've done for you!" He kicked her in the ribs as hard as he could, and felt at least one of them crack. "I'm giving you _life_ and this is how you repay me." He kicked her again, then grabbed her by the hair and drug her back to the bed. He threw her down and the last thing she remembered was his fist coming down towards her face, and then the world went black.


	5. The One With The Chick Flick Moment

****Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters. I do, however, own both O/Cs. Also, there's some smut. I'd like to think it's fairly classy smut, and it's not a lot, but if that offends your gentle nature I would advise against reading this.**

 **Author's note: First of all, thanks to everyone who has followed and liked this story. It means a lot and hopefully you guys enjoy this chapter. I apologize for the day as well. This chapter was hard for me to write. I've never written anything like this before, and the first time I wrote it, it was way off and I didn't want to give you all something awful. It's still not perfect, but I hope for a first attempt it isn't too bad. I'm going to apologize now for the grammar and small spelling mistakes. I was in a bit of hurry trying to get it typed up. Ava didn't make it into this chapter because it became way too long, so I hope when you get to the end you'll see why. Anyway, I'll let you get to it. I hope you enjoy chapter 5.****

* * *

Sam and Dean had checked into the hotel, changed clothes, and went back out to try to find someone that would know anything about Ava. Garth had called to let them know he hadn't found anything solid yet, but he was still working on it. He'd gotten a lead from someone regarding a couple of hunters that may have had a child, a little girl, but they had both been killed during a hunt. No one knew or could remember the child's name, what she looked like, or where she could have ended up.

"Well, that's super fuckin' helpful, Garth. That could literally be any hunter's orphaned kid. It's not like we have a shortage of those." Sam could hear Garth's tiny voice, calm and reassuring despite the profane litany Dean was spewing at him. "I honestly don't give a shit. Call back when you actually have something useful. Actually, call Sam, because I'd like to keep some of my damn brain cells." He'd hung up on Garth at that point, and Sam had quietly texted him to apologize.

"What is your problem?" he'd asked. Dean had grumbled about how if people were going to give him stupid fucking answers they may as well expect a smartass response and had stomped off to the bathroom, which left Sam to pay the bill and cast an apologetic look to anyone that heard the exchange.

Now they were sitting outside of Bens office, waiting for his boss to come back from his lunch break so that they could talk to him. Dean had been quiet since his outburst at the diner and Sam had left him to stew.

"You alright?" Dean shrugged.

"No worse than normal." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and sighed. "This whole thing is stupid. A wild goose chase. None of this makes any sense."

"We'll figure it out. We always do." Sam looked at his watch. "Ben's boss should be back now, let's go." As they crossed the parking lot, Dean looked up at the building.

"What'd this guy do, anyway?" It was Sam's turn to shrug.

"Dunno. Something to do with computers, I think. I'm not entirely sure what we're going to find here, but I'm hoping someone knows more about Ava. Maybe he left his work computer behind." The receptionist buzzed them into the main office.

"You must be Agents Perry and Tyler." Sam nodded as he shook his hand.

"Yes, sir. You must be Mr. Brighton." The man smiled.

"You can just call me Matt. My dad is Mr. Brighton. Please, have a seat." Dean took the chair closest to the door, and let Sam take the lead.

"First of all, I'd like to say how very sorry I am for your loss, Mr. Brighton...Matt." Matt nodded.

"Ben was a good man. He certainly didn't deserve what happened to him."

"Was there anyone at all that he had trouble with, any enemies or anything?"

"Ben? Oh, absolutely not. Everyone loved him. He helped everyone, always went above and beyond. He was a great worker, and we were planning on promoting him again. You couldn't ask for a better co-worker or friend." Dean shifted uncomfortably.

"What about his girlfriend?" Matt smiled sadly.

"Ava. She's a sweet girl. She's a bit on the odd side, but she's always been friendly towards me." Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Odd? What made her odd?"

"Ben didn't discuss too much about it with me, but it sounded like she had a bit of a...rough past, I guess you could say. Nothing that she could have helped, but it affected her socially I think. She wasn't super friendly in that she would go out of her way to talk to you, but if you talked to her first she'd be very friendly and kind. She constantly had a sketchbook in her hand, although I never saw any of her work. Ben brought her to a couple of holiday parties, but she mostly kept to herself. Beautiful girl, but something about her was kind of...unsettling. I think people wondered why Ben was even with her. But I'll tell you, the sun rose and set with that girl, she was Ben's life. I hope you find her." Sam nodded.

"So do we. Is there any way we can get access to Ben's work? We just need to cross all the t's, dot all the i's. If we could maybe get his laptop if it's here, we can rule out any possibilities that would be work related."

"Yea, sure. Normally this wouldn't be an option, client confidentiality and all that, but I'm guessing the FBI being involved rules that out, huh?" He turned to walk out, but then paused and looked back at them. "This has been really hard on us. I hope you find the bastard that did it." Matt left to get Ben's laptop and files. Dean leaned back and rolled his eyes.

"She's odd because she's quiet and keeps to herself? What kind of bullshit answer is that?" Sam glared at Dean, finally reaching a breaking point with his attitude.

"Can you at least wait until we are out of this building before you start mouthing off? I'd like to get the stuff we came here for before you get us kicked out," Sam hissed. Dean returned the glare and fell silent. Matt returned with a box of folders and Ben's laptop bag.

"Here gentleman, I hope this helps." Sam gave Matt a genuine smile.

"I'm sure it will, thanks Matt."

* * *

Sam sat at the table, looking through Ben's files and laptop. Ben had started out doing over the phone troubleshooting for various electronics. He had succeeded at that and had been working on various projects, and although still on the phone, he was managing larger accounts. Sam been staring at account records for at least two hours, and had found nothing. He stood and stretched while looking at the map he had put up on the wall.

"Find anything?" Sam shook his head.

"No, not yet." He looked at Dean and groaned. The elder Winchester was leaned back on the bed, looking at a copy of Busty Asian Beauties and was in the middle of feeding the Magic Fingers another quarter. "Could you maybe help me with this instead of making me feel uncomfortable?" Dean grinned.

"I'm in my happy place, Sam. Happy place." Sam grimaced.

"Let's hope not _too_ happy. Can you please just not?" Dean rolled his eyes and tossed the magazine on the night stand.

"Whatever, Poindexter." He stood and cracked his knuckles. "I'm going out." Sam looked at him, exasperated.

"What happened to 'catching the son of a bitch that did this'?" Dean shrugged his jacket on and paused as he opened the door.

"Looks like you've got it covered here. Maybe someone at the bar will know something."

"Yea, or maybe you'll find the answer at the bottom of a whiskey bottle." As soon as he said it, Sam regretted it. He waited for Dean to go off on him, but instead Dean looked at him with what appeared to be sadness, but then his face hardened and he turned to walk out the door.

"Fuck you, Sam. Don't wait up." He slammed the door behind him and Sam sighed. He shouldn't have said anything to him about his drinking habits. He'd been worried about Dean and alcohol for awhile, but he'd learned to pick his battles. This hadn't been a good time to bring it up. He was confused about Dean's wishy washy attitude, one minute absolutely against taking the case, then declaring he was going to take care of it, and now back to not caring. Sam decided that confronting him about it later would be the best course of action and looked back at the map. The addresses of each victim were circled, including Ben and Ava, plus the locations where each body was found. Although they weren't grouped around a particular spot, they were still scattered around the same area of town. He leaned against the table, stretching his back as he stared at Ben's laptop. He knew there was a connection, but damned if he could actually see it.

"Dammit..." He flopped back into the chair and scrolled through the accounts Ben had been responsible for. Most of them were fairly large accounts, ones that been with his company for years, but scattered throughout were newer start up businesses that had only been with them for a year or two. They all had lists of employees and addresses for the businesses themselves. Each account also included phone numbers for each of the employees, which their own sub-account was linked to so that when they called for help, Ben could annotate which associate had helped and what he had done. The entire system was something that Ben himself had come up with a couple of years ago, and it was impressive. He stopped scrolling. One of the addresses had caught his eye. He clicked on the account and browsed through the names. Nothing seemed off, but his eyes were drawn back to the address. He glanced back at the map, then back at the computer. "Wait..." He went back to the map and looked closer. In the middle of all the body drops, the address he had recognized had appeared. Although listed as a business, the address was in the warehouse district, on the far corner away from the ones that had been reclaimed. Sam entered the address into a map search and pulled up the street view. The building was old and appeared untouched. A fence surrounded, an old rusty chain link with wicked looking barbed wire topping it. Since the street dead ended at the far end of the lot, he couldn't see what the rest of the building looked like. He checked the account again; the business name was Hayya and Sons, the same company that owned the warehouse. "Hayya...hayya..." Something felt familiar about the word, and he grabbed his father's journal and began flipping through the pages. He found what he was looking for and stared at the translation, his heart in his throat as he realized what the word meant. "Living thing..." He flipped back and forth, trying to find another option, another explanation, but came back to the page labeled 'Eve, mother of monsters'. "Holy shit," he whispered to no one. "He's an alpha. An alpha vetala." He still wasn't sure how that connected to the brutality of the attacks and the obvious sexual assault on the last two girls, but he had a terrible feeling he wouldn't like the answer when he finally found one. He fumbled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Dean. The phone went straight to voicemail. "Dammit, Dean, answer your goddamn phone. You need to get back here. I think I know what's going on. I don't know what to do, man. Just...get back here." He tossed the phone on the table and ran a hand over his tired eyes. Why would an alpha go to all this trouble? He sat down at his own laptop. It was too late to call Garth, but he hoped he could find something online that would be somewhat useful. "Probably not," he sighed. The vetala had kept his previous victims for at least a month and Ava had only been gone a week. Sam hoped that he stuck to his pattern now.

* * *

Sam jerked awake at the sound of the door crashing open. He grimaced as he raised his head from the awkward position on the table. Dean slammed the door behind him and threw his jacket on the chair opposite of Sam, whistling to himself.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Sam's eyes narrowed against the sudden burst of light as Dean turned on the lamp, then plopped on the bed to take off his boots.

"Dude, it's two in the morning." Dean grinned.

"Well, that's true. Technically morning though, right?" Sam glared at him silently. "Did you find anything?"

"If you'd bother answering your damn phone, you'd know."

"Oh Sammy, so bitchy, even for you. Just tell me what you found." So, Sam did. He explained how a dummy corporation had been set up in order to purchase the warehouse, and how that same corporation had set up a phony account with Ben's company. He explained how all the numbers listed as employees were related to the dead girls, and also to a multitude of other missing persons spanning several states. Although their phones had been left behind, he had somehow duplicated their number, and had never been caught using them. He'd used them to contact Ben on several occasions. He explained that the name of the company was the Hebrew word for living thing, and how that had led him to their father's journal, specifically the section regarding Eve and the alphas. Dean sat quietly listening, wishing that he had been slightly more sober when he'd come back, because everything that Sam said was fuzzy and he was having trouble concentrating on it. He kept reminding himself that this was important, this is how they'd find the girl and save the day, but all he could think about was her laughing, so carefree and happy. Not quite like Jo, she'd had a lot of baggage. But it was _his_ baggage. She'd been the only person who had truly understood his life, and the dangers and bullshit that went with it. She had understood the tumultuous relationship he had with Sam sometimes and had never tried to force him to forgive and forget when all he wanted was to scream. She didn't judge his drinking, hell, she joined him...because she knew that that was sometimes the only way the nightmares would go away. She had made him feel less broken. He was sick of losing people who deserved better. Dean lurched to his feet.

"We've gotta find her, man. She's alone with that dick, who knows what he wants to do with her, what he's already done." He stumbled towards the door but Sam stood and placed a hand gently on his brother's chest.

"Dude, you are in no shape. It's two in the morning, and we have no idea _why_ he's doing what he's doing. He's kept the others for a long time, we've got time. Not to mention we have no idea what to expect from an alpha vetala...this is new territory and we need to be ready. We know where the building is, we just have to make sure-" Dean shoved him, hard, anger flashing across his face.

"I'm fine, goddammit. Jo is out there, and she needs us. We can't just leave her, man." Sam looked at Dean confused.

"Jo? What are you talking about?" Dean tried to push past Sam again, but Sam held his ground. "Jo is gone, Dean...she's gone. We're looking for Ava. Ava." Dean stopped trying to get past Sam and stared at him blankly.

"That's what I said. Ava." Sam gently guided Dean to the bed and pushed him into a sitting position.

"No, dude, you said Jo." He pulled the chair over to sit across from his brother and leaned forward. Dean was not into sharing, but Sam realized that this went beyond just some girl that happened to look like their friend. "Spill, man. What is your deal? I haven't heard you mention Jo in _years_. I know Ava kinda looks like her-" Dean looked at him sharply. "Okay, really looks like her, but...why now? I miss her too, her and Ellen. I just don't understand why it's such a big deal now..." The look on Dean's face stopped him. The older man looked desperate and lost. He dropped his head and Sam could tell he was trying to hide his tears. "Hey, I'm sorry...we don't have to talk about it, okay? I didn't mean to bring up something...' he trailed off as Dean shook his head.

"It's fine," he said brusquely. "I...something happened." Sam watched Dean quietly, not wanting to push him. After a moment, Dean looked up at the ceiling and took a shaky breath. "It was one of the times you split, and I was staying with Bobby..."

* * *

 _~~~ Dean paced back and forth in the gravel, muttering to himself and getting more and more angry. The junkyard was quiet except for the crunch of his boots and mumbled obscenities. "'Gotta be on my own, Dean, I have to do this on my own.' What a crock of shit." He threw his beer bottle at one of the wrecks and it shattered, the glass glinting in the moonlight._

 _"Whoa there, tiger, calm down." Dean glanced up to see Jo walking towards him, an open beer in each hand. "It's a good thing I thought you might need a refill." Dean grunted and accepted the beer as he leaned against the Impala. "Sam?"_

 _"Oh, not you too. I get it, he's an adult, he can make his own choices. Don't go looking for him." Jo chuckled and Dean glared at her. She held her hands up as if to surrender._

 _"Not what I was going to say." She leaned against the Impala, dangerously close to Dean, her hip almost grazing his._

 _"What were you going to say?" he asked gruffly, acutely aware of just how close she was sitting._

 _"I was going to say you have every right to be upset. He shouldn't have left you." She took a sip of her beer and continued quietly. "He loves you, you know, way more than you could ever realize. You're his big brother, he'd do anything for you. And let's be honest, you were there for him way more than John ever was." She paused and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, expecting him to disagree. Dean said nothing. "Point is, the guy...he feels broken, less than. I can't imagine knowing that you have this...this_ _ **thing**_ _...this darkness inside of you that you had no choice in. He's scared, Dean...he's scared of becoming a monster and turning into the things we hunt, but most importantly, he's scared of hurting you. Doesn't make it less upsetting to you that he left, though. And here you are, blaming yourself for a decision that_ _ **he**_ _made. Newsflash, ace, it's not your fucking fault." She tilted her head back and stared at the stars. He looked at her with mild surprise. Jo was typically a girl of few words, but damn did she deliver when she decided to use them._

 _"Yea...maybe you're right."_

 _"Do you ever just look up?" Dean laughed._

 _"Not usually. Good way to get your ass kicked." Jo smiled._

 _"You should try it. Nothing around to kick your ass now, unless you're scared of me, Winchester." He looked at her, her long blonde hair draped over one shoulder and a ghost of a smile on her lips, and realized just how scared of her he really was. He looked up and was amazed at how clear the sky was, the stars scattered across the darkness like diamonds on velvet. He put his hand down on the hood to steady himself and felt Jo's hand resting under his. He thought about moving it, and after realizing that he didn't want to, settled himself in closer to Jo, still looking at the sky. His heart jumped when he felt her lean into his side, her heat radiating through him. They stood that way for a moment, each trying to ignore how they could feel the other breathing they were standing so close, until Dean couldn't stand it anymore. He turned to look at her only to catch her staring at him. Slowly, he reached up and traced her jawline with his thumb, his green eyes locked with her deep brown, his heart racing, and tilted his head slightly as if asking her permission. She smiled, and cupping his hand around the back of her neck, Dean pulled her against him. Her lips were warm and soft on his, and he worked his mouth gently against hers. He couldn't help but run his tongue over her bottom lip, and he never in a million years had thought someone could taste so good, a mixture of vanilla and beer, and cinnamon. Her mouth opened slightly in response and he nervously slipped his tongue against hers, searching her mouth eagerly. He buried his hands in her hair and pulled her close, and felt her hands grip the front of his shirt. Jo nipped at his lower lip and Dean groaned. He pulled back, his lips barely touching Jo's, and leaned his forehead against hers._

 _"Jo..." he whispered, breathing her in, dizzy with her scent._

 _"Yea, ace? Having second thoughts?" He stroked her hair, amazed at how soft it was. He should be having second thoughts. It was dangerous, a stupid idea. Hunters died young, and they died nasty. The Winchesters had proven time and time again that to get close to them was almost like signing a death warrant. He should tell her that they had to stop, that it was a nice thought but that it would be better for her if they forgot about it and moved on. But he realized that it wouldn't be better for him, and for once in his short and bloody life, he wanted to be selfish._

 _"We probably shouldn't," he murmured as his lips brushed her ear. Jo shifted into him, her hips thrusting into his, and he felt his body react. She brought his face back to hers and smiled against his lips._

 _"It seems like not all of you agrees with that statement." Dean growled as he picked her up and sat her on the Impala's hood. She looked up at him then, and brought her hand up to his cheek. "I don't agree either." She pulled his face back to hers and kissed him hard, her hands roaming across his chest and around to his back. She gasped as Dean pushed himself between her legs, his large hands on her hips as he rocked into her. They stayed that way for a moment, tasting each other, exploring each other outside of their clothes like a couple of teenagers. She felt Dean's hand slide up from her hip, up under her shirt, and into her bra, cupping her breast softly with his calloused hand. She moaned against his mouth and she felt him smile. Without breaking their kiss, he unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it behind her on the windshield, then with one hand, took her bra off and tossed that too. "Impressive, Winchester," she whispered, "what else can you do?" He pulled away from her then, smile still on his lips, and pulled his shirt off. She couldn't help but stare. She had seen him shirtless before, had even patched him up a couple of times, but nothing prepared her for the way it felt when he pulled her into him, his bare skin sizzling against hers, his muscles rippling in all the right places. He leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear._

 _"Why don't I show you?" She wrapped her legs around his waist as he picked her up and carried her to the back of the Impala. She was amazed at how strong he was as he held her up with one arm and threw the back door open with the other. He gently laid her in the back seat then stood up, his hands on the button of his jeans. He paused and looked at her, as if expecting her to change her mind. She simply nodded at him, and he kicked his boots off, then removed his jeans and boxers in one swift motion. She looked at him hungrily, amazed at how built he was. She'd always thought he might be just as built below his belt as he was above, but he surpassed even what she expected. He slid in to join her in the backseat, and positioned himself above her. His green eyes flashed in the moonlight, and he paused again. She realized that he looked worried. "Are you sure, Jo? I can't promise...:" She placed a finger gently on his lips to silence him and smiled softly._

 _"In our world, who can?" Dean dipped down, breathing her in as his lips traced her collar bone. He felt her skin prickle at his touch, so he moved down slowly, teasing her as he went. He traced her nipple with his tongue lazily before pulling it fully into his mouth. Jo gasped, her breath hitching at the sensation of his breath and tongue as he gently sucked on her breast. Dean switched sides, placing his thumb and forefinger where his mouth once was and began flicking her other nipple gently with his tongue. He slid slowly down her belly, his whiskers leaving a trail of warmth on her skin. Dean kissed along the edge of where her jeans rested, focusing on each hip bone before slipping his hand under the band. There was a fire deep in her belly, and she ached for him to touch her. "Dean..." she whimpered, pushing her hips towards finger slid down just enough to graze that tiny bundle of nerves. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders as he barely touched it, teasing her. He wanted her to beg for it. "Dean...please...", but regretted it as soon as she said it because the delicious pressure his finger had left was gone. He pulled her jeans and panties off together and tossed them in the front seat. The sight of her pale skin and long blonde hair spread across the dark seat of the Impala, glowing in the moonlight, was almost too much for him to take. He resumed his position between her legs, nudging her knees apart so he could reach her better. Slowly, Dean ran a finger down her folds, teasing her entrance and spreading her wetness to her clit. He watched her, and his cock jumped when she dropped her head back and closed her eyes, practically purring. Gently, he slid his finger inside her, plunging in and out slowly as if testing the waters, making sure she was okay before he slipped a second finger in. The sounds she was making were killing him and he wanted nothing more than to be inside her, but she deserved more than that. He curved his fingers back towards him, hitting that sweet spot perfectly. She bucked her hips and cried out, nothing coherent, just a string of obscenities and moans. At that moment, Dean needed to taste her, wanted to know if her slit tasted as good as her mouth. He dipped his tongue into it, lapping at her wetness. "Sweet Jesus," she moaned as she buried her hands into Dean's hair._

 _"You can just call me Dean, sweetheart." His deep voice rumbled against her, and she felt herself getting close to the edge. She laughed and moaned at the same time._

 _"Dean it is," she replied, out of breath. Dean could feel that she was getting close, but he wasn't ready to let her go. He pulled himself up and away from her, settling on his knees. Jo looked at him, lust in her eyes and her mouth slightly open. He grabbed his cock and pumped it a couple of times and her heavy eyes watched him as he reached down and ran his hand through her wetness before stroking himself once more. He re-positioned himself over her, guiding his head just slightly outside of her entrance. Jo hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until he started to push inside of her. "Ohhhh..." Her eyes closed as she felt him slowly easing inside, stretching her in places she'd not even imagined. Dean had to stop and take a steadying breath; he was already so close to coming he wasn't sure how long he was going to last. He pushed further until he was finally seated all the way inside of her, and he rested there for a moment, letting her get used to the length of him. "Dean, I need you...please..." she started rocking against him and he matched her slow pace at first._

 _"Fucking Christ, Jo...I didn't know it could feel this good..." She looked up at him with hooded eyes and tried to respond, but Dean had quickened his pace and any rational thoughts left her mind._

 _"Oh God, Dean...you feel so good." Dean hooked one of her legs around his hip, and began rubbing his thumb across her clit. He gripped her hip with his free hand and his thrusting became faster and more desperate. He had never felt something so wonderful, so perfect. For the first time in his life, it didn't feel empty. His steady pace began to falter as he raced towards the edge and he forced himself to wait. He wanted to her to come first. He began rubbing her clit faster. "Dean...I'm so close...please don't stop..." He pulled her upright so that they were sitting up and she was facing him, riding him._

 _"Cum for me, sweetheart. Come on, baby." He quickened his pace as well as he could without beating her to it, and began kissing her neck._

 _"Dean...oh my God...I'm going to...ooohhhhh." He felt her muscles tighten around him as she threw her head back, a sob escaping her._

 _"It's okay, I've got you...I've got you. Oh, Jo...I think...I'm so close..." He moved as if he was going to pull out and she held him place with her thighs._

 _"Go on, Dean," she breathed heavily, "I want to feel it." Those words alone were enough to throw him over the edge. He buried his face into her neck and cried out her name. They leaned into each other for a moment, each trying to catch their breath. They slid down in the seat, and Dean wrapped her shivering body into his. Dean had never felt so complete in his life. He'd been with a lot of women, but Jo...no one compared to Jo. He felt her lips brush his jaw and looked down at her._

 _"Where'd you go, ace?" Dean smiled._

 _"Oh...no where.I was just thinking of how good this feels." He stared at her, her messy hair clinging to her sweat soaked body, and she smiled up at him. "Jo..I..." She leaned up and gently covered his lips with her own._

 _"I know." ~~~  
_

Sam looked at Dean, his eyes wide. Dean had stared at the floor the entire time he spoke, his hands hanging limply between his knees. He finally looked up at Sam, his green eyes shining with tears that threatened to spill over, and Sam realized something that he should have noticed a long time ago. He thought back to the moment at the hardware store, right before he and Dean and left Jo and Ellen behind. Sam had said goodbye to each of them as he tried desperately not to cry, but Dean had surprised him. He'd knelt down in front of Jo, and tilted her chin up gently so that they were looking at each other. He kissed the top of her head, and then as if thinking better of it, leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Sam had thought it was innocent enough at the time, but now he realized what had actually been going on.

"You loved her...didn't you?" he asked quietly. Dean looked up at the ceiling, willing his tears to go away, and laughed. It was a humorless laugh.

"Yea...I guess I did." Dean didn't guess anything. He had loved her, fiercely. Not even Lisa could have compared to the love he had for Jo. It had taken that one night in the Impala to make him realize it, but he did. They had only been together the one time, although they had been able to sneak away on a couple of occasions just to be alone, but Dean had thought he'd had plenty of time. He should have known better. Jo had basically forfeited her right to life when she ended up with him. It's what happened very time a Winchester loved someone.

"Is that why you want to help Ava? Because she looks like Jo?" It felt like a slap in the face, a cheap reason to help someone that needed him. But it was true. He'd seen her, and saw Jo. His beautiful Jo with the long blonde hair and freckles, laughing in the sunlight on the rare occasion they were alone. It was selfish, and he knew it. But he couldn't save Jo, couldn't change what happened, but perhaps if he helped Ava a little bit of balance would be restored. He nodded.

"Kind of...it's how it started. I just...I couldn't save Jo, Sammy. I got her into that mess, and I'm the reason she..." he couldn't finish his sentence. Saying it out loud made it a million times worse. "I need to fix it. I need to help this girl. I know it won't bring Jo back, I get it. But I can't fail again, man. I can't..." His head dropped down on his chest and Sam could tell that he was about to fall over. He caught Dean before he could hit the floor and gently moved him up further on the bed, then covered him with a blanket. Within seconds, Sam could hear gentle snores. Dean was out.

"We'll find her, Dean. We'll find her and she'll be fine." Sam sighed, unsure if he even believed it himself.


	6. The One Where Ava Learns The Hard Way

****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, even though I sincerely wish I did. I do own Ava and Sebastian, so for what that's worth. Sorry it took so long for an update! The last chapter was a bit difficult to write, and I was struggling with how I wanted this to play out. I think the idea I came up with is a good one, so I really hope you enjoy it. No sexy times in this one, but there's language and some torture, so proceed with caution. Also, I'm on the struggle bus with grammar and such lately, so please forgive me if there are any errors. I tried to proof read it, but...you know how that goes.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please review so I can determine what needs to be changed, if anything, and also just because I like to know what you all think. Thanks!****

* * *

Consciousness came back to Ava slowly. At first, she didn't realize where she was or why everything hurt so badly, or why it seemed so hard to open her eyes. The ringing in her ears was deafening, disorienting. She wondered where Ben was and why the room was so cold. Had he left a window open? Maybe she was getting sick. It seemed like everyone at work was getting something, she must have finally caught would explain her bones aching so badly and why it hurt to breathe. Maybe she was getting pneumonia. Did pneumonia hurt? She had never had it, so she couldn't be for sure. Then, she realized that she wasn't lying down. This was an odd feeling because she knew she wasn't actually standing..was she? She fought past the heaviness weighing down her eyelids and tried to look. Only one of her eyes would open all the way. The other one was just barely open and her vision was blurry. Maybe she was getting pink eye. That would be awful, but it didn't explain everything else that was wrong. That's when she realized that some of pain she was feeling was coming from her arms being held above her head. She looked up, painfully and with more effort than it should have taken, and saw that her hands were cuffed together and were then chained to a rafter above her. Although her feet were on the floor, they just barely rested there, and most of her body weight was being suspended by her arms. She felt panic begin to set in when she remembered where she was. She glanced down and finally understood why she was so cold. It was not coming from an open window, but was due to her being completely naked in a large, empty, windowless room. It had become difficult to keep her head held up, it was so painful, but she forced herself to look at the figure sitting five feet in front of her, one leg crossed over the other and hands laced behind their head. Watching. Her final realization was the most devastating. It wasn't Ben, her sweet Ben, but Sebastian. Her heart ached, but the tears were gone. She had nothing left in her.

"Seb...Sebastian..." He walked over, his hands jammed into his jean pockets, and looked at her silently. "Where...what is this place?" Sebastian rocked back on his heels, oddly calm considering his previous behavior.

"It's just my workshop." He got within a foot of her and stopped. "Ava, I wish I hadn't had to do this. It's just..." He began to pace, "you tried to run! Why would you run from me? I'm involving you in something great, something so important. You are about to help me create the most amazing thing." He got right in her face, his finger gently grazing the side of her face that wasn't bruised.

"What are we making? I don't...I don't understand." She was struggling to stay awake and pay attention. Everything hurt so badly.

"We have already discussed it. Use your brain, Ava! Think hard." He stepped back and gave her a frustrated look. "Do you not remember _any_ of our conversations? I gave you plenty of hints, I thought you were smart enough to put it together." Ava thought back on their conversations. A particular comment that he had made suddenly stuck out, and Sebastian smiled as he watched realization cross her face. "See, I knew you were smart. Tell me, what do you think?"

"A child." Her head had dropped back to her chest and the answer was mumbled. He grabbed her roughly by the hair and jerked her head back up. Ava gasped.

"I can't hear you. Mumbling is an unattractive habit. Now, tell me again." She glared at him as well as she could with her swollen eyes.

"A child. You want to make a child." He smiled, a cold and calculated smile that would have previously sent chills down Ava's spine. She was too exhausted to be scared anymore.

"Ding, ding, ding! Let's show her what she's won, Johnny!" He disappeared from sight and quickly returned, pushing a cart with a sheet over it. "So here's the thing," he said as he whipped the sheet back and exposed an array of knives and various objects of questionable use, "I need to know that you're strong enough. You've proven there's some fire in you, and I wish I didn't have to put you through more, but this is important and I can't just trust your fiery disposition. This has been a drawn out endeavor, longer and more difficult than I had planned, and I'm tired of waiting. Which, unfortunately for you, means that this whole process is going to happen in a much shorter amount of time."

"Why do I have to prove anything at all? Why not just do it and have it done with?" He chuckled as he picked up a knife and tested the sharpness against his thumb.

"I mentioned the nephilim to you earlier, and how they were the byproduct of an angel and a human. The humans never make it, sweetheart. It's too much. They're basically a vessel and then once it's done, they're gone. They serve as a means to an end. Of course, the end is an abomination that is destroyed eventually, which is unfortunate, but a means to an end no less. I would like to keep you around, make sure that my child is cared for and loved. I need to know that you can carry my child and then be there after it's been born. This entire thing is pointless if you can't live through it."

"So you're going to torture me...so I'll be close to death...to prove I'm capable of not dying? How does that even prove anything?" She snapped. He raised his hand as if to strike her, then dropped it.

"It's...more than that. You'll see."

"You aren't an angel, and even if they were real which they aren't, they wouldn't act like this. This is insane."

"Oh sweetheart, angels are real. Very real, and total dicks. You think you have it rough right now? At least I'm being honest with you. Those guys have no problem doing worse to get what they want." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm a vetala. The original one, in fact. I've been around for a _very_ long time, and I've always wondered how I could...expand my family, make them stronger. Now, don't get me wrong, humans are not my favorite. They are loud and obnoxious and think everything should just be handed to them. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy slicing up those other girls, or Ben. I did enjoy it. I loved it, as a matter of fact." He leaned into her and she could feel the steel of the knife in his hand pressing a cold line on her chest. "I like to see how things tick, what's underneath those pesky layers. Living in one of these meat suits is not something I particularly like, but it makes it easier when I can peel it back like an onion and see what makes it work. You don't live as long as me without careful curiosity." Ava could feel her panic rising to the surface, a nervous energy that was threatening to explode. She knew it would not end well for her if she couldn't hold back the laughter that was bubbling just under the surface, but it happened. She laughed in Sebastian's face. He looked as if he had been slapped. "Why are you laughing?" She had to force the laughter back down and catch her breath.

"This can't be real. You can't possibly think you're this...monster. Monsters aren't real...none of this is real." She was still chuckling to herself and she tried to stop, but the ridiculousness of the situation just brought a fresh round of laughter. "This is the most fucked up nightmare I have ever had. Or maybe it _is_ real, and you're just insane. I honestly don't know at this point." Sebastian narrowed his eyes and slowly, ever so slowly, drug the knife across her chest, deep and long. Ava screamed.

"Does that feel fake? Do you think you can just wake up now?" His voice was low and calm as he switched direction and pulled the knife from her collar bone to the opposite side of her chest, crossing the cut he had just made. She couldn't scream now, her breath could only come to her in hitching sobs. Her vision started to go black around the edges and she forced herself to look back at Sebastian. "That's my girl. Keep those eyes open. I want you to see what's happening." He patted her cheek roughly. "Now," he pulled the chair over so that he could sit in front of her, "you wanted to know why torturing you would work. It's a good question. It's not the torture itself I'm interested in, at least not with you. That's not the point of this exercise, it's more of an...experiment, I suppose you could say. I need to know what your pain threshold is, what you can take. Human bodies are weak and prone to breaking easily."

"Even if you know that, you can't do anything. You can't change my body." Sebastian jumped up and clapped his hands.

"That, my dear, is the best part! And to answer, I have to explain what exactly a vetala is. We are demons, inhabiting a body."

"A meat suit," Ava mumbled. Sebastian chuckled.

"Yes, a meat suit. Primarily a corpse, which can be less than pleasant. It can be pretty awful, but I got this fine fellow shortly after he died, and it's been lovely. The best part is, he'll stay this way until I decide to leave. Although, I may not. I enjoy this one. He's a handsome devil, which makes my life much easier. Anyway, I've been trying to find the easiest way to do this. Demons can procreate with humans and they'll live...although maybe a little worse for wear. But then I ran across something I completely forgot about. One of my dear cousins, Azazel, decided to make an army for himself. In order to do this, he decided to share his blood with a multitude of infants and then wait until they were adults to basically have a death match, see who the strongest was to carry on his legacy. Or something equally ridiculous...Azazel wasn't the most organized and although his plan was a good one in theory, it wasn't well thought out or executed and of course it didn't work. But it made me think. If our blood could create these...super children...just by having them ingest it, what would happen if it came straight from the source? Demon blood straight to the blood stream, instead of consumption. You see, you have to keep consuming the demon blood for it to work. I mean, it'll be inside of you, there's residual affects, but to be _really_ strong, you have to continuously feed. That's a pain and not very sustainable. I honestly don't know what it's going to do to you, my previous attempts ended...well, quite poorly to be honest...but that's what makes this fun."

"Even if I believe you, what makes you think I'll play along?" Sebastian smiled his cold smile, as if he were anticipating the question. He leaned in, his lips gently brushing her ear.

"Because I can do whatever I want," he whispered dangerously, "because no one is looking for you, no one misses you, and no one cares. You will play along with me or I will cut you into fucking pieces and spread your parts across this city. And I will make damn sure that they will _never_ figure out who you are. I promise you that." He kissed her cheek gently and suddenly Ava's feet left the floor with an excruciating jerk. She hadn't noticed the extra length of chain behind her and when he leaned forward to threaten her, he had grabbed it. The chain was not attached to a rafter as she had initially thought but a pulley. Her feet dangled just high enough that she couldn't reach the floor and relieve the weight that was pulling painfully down on her arms.

"Sebastian...please..." she pleaded, "I can't..." She struggled to put her toes on the ground at least, but there was no way, no matter how she stretched, that she could touch. It hurt so badly she couldn't even form a sentence to beg him to let her down. Sebastian had picked up his knife again.

"Hang tight, sweetheart." He burst out laughing at his inadvertent pun. "That's too good...I didn't plan that, but that was clever." She felt the knife press against her stomach. "This is going to hurt, but it'll be over soon." The knife bit into her flesh and she bit her lip, refusing to scream. Sebastian laughed and moved the point of the knife just under her eye. She felt the tip dimple her skin, but she continued to look him in the face and tried to ignore the warm trails of blood pouring down her front. "Look at you, being brave. I'm very impressed with you, Ava. _Very_ impressed." He lowered her to the floor and she slumped against the chains, relieved that at least her feet were back on the floor. "Now...for the next phase our of plan." He walked over to the cart and picked up a large syringe filled with dark red, almost black, liquid. "Shot number one..." Since her arms were above her head, he shot it straight into her neck. At first it was just a pinch, but within just a moment, it felt like her entire body was on fire. This time, a low, guttural scream left Ava. Sebastian stepped back and looked at her. He looked ecstatic.

"This is starting off even more promising than I could have anticipated." His black eyes flashed blue, and he gave her a toothy smile, with teeth far more sharp than they should be.

* * *

Sam had fallen asleep soon after his conversation with Dean, but had woken early to begin his search for Ava's captor and why he would have wanted to take her. After a few hours of exhausting, disturbing, and pretty fruitful research, Sam left his brother snoring loudly to get breakfast and coffee for the two of them. What he had found had been discouraging, if not disturbing. He had looked at the autopsy photos and read the coroners and police reports over and over in hopes of finding any clues. The only thing he had initially found was an odd feeling that he had seen something similar to this before. It kept pulling at him, teasing and taunting, until he finally picked up his father's journal and flipped through it. Page after page where nothing had jumped out at him, until he landed on a familiar entry. "Jesse Turner". Sam's eyes widened as he read the page, over and over again. He flipped back further and found another entry, "Nephilim". It was at that point he had decided to get breakfast for them, both because he couldn't remember when they ate last and because he needed to get out of the room and think. If a vetala was actually a demon, and this one was an Alpha, could the combination be even more powerful than the cambion they'd seen before? So he'd left, and when he returned, found Dean's bed empty. He sat the food and coffee on the table and noticed something laying on Dean's nightstand. His wallet was laying open and an old, faded picture was laying on top of it. Sam picked it up, confused, and then felt his heart ache as he realized what it was. It was a picture of Dean and Jo, although he couldn't tell where it was taken. Dean was holding the camera out since he had longer arms, and both of them were laughing. Jo had her head tilted back, her smile wide and eyes shut, and her long blonde hair was blowing over her one shoulder. Dean's arm was wrapped tightly around her and he was looking at her. Sam had never seen Dean look at anyone like that, much less keep a picture in his wallet for so long. His brother had never shown him the photo and Sam suddenly felt bad for looking at what was obviously a private and rare moment that Dean may not have wanted to share. The resemblance to the picture they had found at Ava's house didn't escape him. He quickly returned it to where he'd found it.

"Dean?" He heard a groan come from that bathroom. "Are you okay?"

"Define...okay." Sam heard a flush and then the water running in the sink. He grinned and sat down at his laptop as Dean staggered out of the bathroom. The eldest Winchester sat on the edge of the bed and rested his head in his hands.

"Coffee?"

"Is it laced with high quality pain killers?" Sam handed him a cup and tossed a bottle of aspirin at him.

"Nah, but maybe this greasy diner food will help." Dean groaned again.

"I hate you." He tossed back three pills, chased them with coffee, and grimaced. "Why are you up so early?" Sam shrugged.

"Stuff to do." Dean eyed him suspiciously

"Are you having trouble sleeping again?" Sam shook his head.

"No worse than normal. We just need to get to Ava, and I felt like the more we knew before we ran off, the better. I think I know what he wants her for and it's not...it's not good, man." He turned the laptop around so that Dean could see it. "I couldn't find a lot about Ava. It looked like she has been in the system for most of her life and was shuffled around a lot. It wasn't good for her...several times there had been allegations of abuse. She stayed out of trouble despite all that and judging by what I could find, she moved to Wichita when she was about 25. She's worked odd jobs here and there, but she's been at this used book store for the past few years. I'm not sure where she was for most of that time, the only address I could find for her was the one she shared with Ben. They moved in together about three years ago. It doesn't look like she has any relatives, and I've not been able to find any social media pages for her at all. The only thing I really found was her driver's license. Nothing else seems to exist for her except the foster care records and that. I can't even find her birth certificate."

"Have you talked to Garth, yet?" Sam shook his head.

"No, not yet. We need to talk about this before we get anyone else involved." Dean raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, Sammy? It can't be that bad." Sam took a sip of coffee and cleared his throat.

"I think...dude, I think he wants her to..." He couldn't say it. He wanted so badly to be wrong and he was afraid if he said it out loud there would be no turning back.

"Sam."

"I think he wants to get her pregnant, Dean," he said quietly. Dean's mouth dropped open.

"Excuse me?" Sam clicked on one of the open internet tabs and pulled up a page about nephilim.

"I think...I think this is what he wants. You know how powerful nephilim are, you remember what Jesse was like and he was part human, part demon. This vetala...he's a child of Eve. If a regular demon can create something like Jesse, can you imagine what would happen if he succeeds? I think that's why the torture ended up turning into sexual assault. I think the first few girls couldn't handle whatever he dealt out, which is why the last two were the only ones that had signs of it. His experiments were getting more and more twisted, but the last two must have been stronger because he kept them longer. He's shopping, Dean. He's looking for someone that's strong enough to carry his child. I'm assuming based on Ava's background that she's pretty strong but...man, I don't know if she's going to be able to handle it.I don't know that we have a lot of time." Dean just looked at him. He had no idea what to say.

"How did you even figure this out?" Sam shrugged again.

"Pattern, I guess. I could be wrong, but I cannot find anything else that would match what we've already found. It's a bizarre leap, but it's all I can think of. Do you agree, or is this just insane?" Dean rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Of course it's insane. Our _lives_ are insane. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." He sighed. "Call Garth. we know how to deal with a vetala...but maybe he'll have an idea on handling an alpha. We might need him on call anyway...I have a feeling this isn't going to be an easy one." Sam moved to go outside and call Garth, then paused at the door and looked back at Dean.

" _Are_ you okay, though?" It's just..." he trailed off and Dean glanced over at the picture on the nightstand.

"I'm fine, Sammy. Call Garth. I'm going to take a shower." Sam saw Dean shove the picture back into his wallet before he disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.


	7. The One Where Sebastian Is Tempted

****Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters. Sebastian and Ava are mine though, so yay for that! I wish I owned all of them though.**

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in this one, I started a new position at work and a new schedule, so I've been working 9-11 hours a day. I hope that this chapter makes sense...I'm kind of taking liberties with the properties of demon blood and werewolves...and vetalas...sooo...yea. I'm not sure how much longer this story will be, but I think you'll find that it's starting to come together as far as the characters go. The italicized section is Ava jumping from one memory to another, so I tried to space them out in such a way you could tell where one ended and the next starts. I really hope you all enjoy it. Please follow and review, it really helps a lot! ****

* * *

When Sam came back into the room, Dean walked out in only a towel and sat on the bed.

"Well?"

"Garth said he was going to have to research and call back, but he said he would go ahead and come this way just in case. But check this out." Sam pulled up his email and opened an attachment from Garth. A birth certificate popped up. "I texted Garth Ava's birthday while you were sleeping, I thought maybe he'd be able to find something that I missed, and I was right. He found her birth certificate. Ava Rosalyn Walker, born October 13, 1985 to Franklin Lee Walker and Lillian Rose Walker. Frank and Lilly had had another child, Jacob, three years before Ava but he died when Ava was only five."

"Was it a natural death?" Sam shook his head.

"It was recorded as a wild animal attack, specifically a bear. They were camping when he was snatched. The rest of the family managed to get away but when they found the kid it was too late. Garth was able to get a coroner's report, and it looks like it was probably a wendigo. According to the police report, Ava had said that her brother had gone to the bathroom, and she saw a monster take her brother. When asked what it looked like, she drew this." Sam clicked on another attachment. Dean was impressed. The drawing looked remarkably like a wendigo.

"A five year old drew that? Kid's got talent."

"Yea, well, the police chalked it up to her being in shock and they went on the hunt for the supposed bear that did it. Someone shot one, the reward was claimed, and the case was closed. They were lucky, if it was a wendigo, they should have all been taken." Dean got up and dug through his bag for some clothes.

"Don't tell me, the parents didn't believe the police?"

"Bingo. Garth didn't find anything about them going after _that_ wendigo, but things started changing. Ava was removed from her school and they moved constantly. Garth was able to find a few hunters that remembered them. They were good at the job, that's for sure. The mom had been a history and science teacher and the dad had built machinery for various factories and businesses. They were really good at research and even better at finishing jobs. It looks like, for awhile anyway, they were the go-tos for hunter stuff."

"I wonder if Bobby or Ellen knew them?" Sam shrugged.

"I'd be surprised if they didn't. Hell, Dad probably did. The man burned a lot of bridges, but he still knew a lot of people. Dean disappeared into the bathroom to get dressed.

"What happened to them?" he yelled.

"When Ava was ten, her parents were found dead in a hotel room, their throats ripped open and their hearts missing. Ava had been locked in the bathroom and when police arrived, they found her sleeping in the bathtub. Their deaths were ruled as a homicide and police concluded that they were 'ritual' suspects were never caught. According to Garth's source, it was a werewolf job gone wrong. And that's where things get...weird." Dean came out of the bathroom as he yanked his shirt on.

"What's weird about it?"

"Ava just sort of disappears. Since there was no next of kin listed, she should have gone straight to protective custody and then placed in a home. There's a six month gap between their deaths and when she shows up in foster care. And, despite the other trouble she had there, never mentioned her brother or her parents deaths. She doesn't even act like she ever had a family. She never mentions them moving around a lot or that they were hunters. They took her everywhere, you'd think she would have at least mentioned something to someone in passing, she was young and wouldn't have as much self control. That's a big secret to keep to yourself when you're only ten. It's like...it's like she didn't remember."

"We kept secrets like that when we were ten. Why wouldn't she be able to remember, though? It's not like you can just wipe away someone's..."he trailed off. He and Sam both knew better, and they knew the cost of building up and tearing down those walls. "You think she can't remember any of it?" Sam shut his laptop.

"I don't know...she either doesn't remember, she was pretty young after all, or she's better at shoving her feelings down than we are." Dean chuckled.

"She'd have to be a pretty good actress then. So, what's the plan?"

"Garth is going to see if he can find anything out about this alpha. I feel like it's going to essentially be the same as a normal vetala, just stronger, but it doesn't hurt to check. We need to get the blueprints for that building and I think we should check it out tonight before we go in. Garth will meet up with us tomorrow, be on standby. Dean nodded.

"And what about Ava? If she makes it through this...what do we do?" Sam frowned.

"I don't know. I guess we will have to wait and see. We don't know what, if anything, she knows or remembers. Who knows how she'll react to it. I think the main thing is to get her out of there alive and then go from there." Sam sighed. "She's going to need somewhere to go, someone to take care of her. Are we the right people for that?" Dean shrugged.

"Like you said, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Let's see about getting the blueprints and let Garth in on the game plan." The brothers left their room and settled into the Impala. As he started the car, Dean looked at Sam. "Do you think we'll make it in time, Sammy?" Sam saw his brother's worried expression, heard the rare hint of dread in his voice, but he knew he couldn't lie.

"I don't know, man. I really don't know."

* * *

Sebastian sat in front of Ava and watched her. The second injection he had given her proved to be a little much for her and she had finally passed out, although she appeared to physically be okay. As he watched her, her eyes rolling and jerkily moving under her closed lids, he wondered what was going on in her mind. He had learned quite a lot about her when he'd worked with Ben. Although his original intent hadn't been to involve Ben at all except for his various 'business' endeavors, he had quickly gotten Ben to trust him and learned more about his girlfriend. Of course Sebastian, upon finding out her name, had immediately been drawn to her and so the quest to see if she'd be 'the one' had begun. He smiled as he thought back to making her tell him everything; of course, he'd already known. What he couldn't find out online, he'd forced Ben to tell him. He had learned about her past, the various foster homes she'd been forced into, the abuse she'd been put through. He felt badly, at least as much as someone like him could feel, about putting her through that abuse again, but she was tough. It was a necessary evil to get what he wanted. He crossed his arms as he looked at her and felt a familiar warmth in his gut as he took in her naked curves. Even strung up like she was, bloody and bruised, she was beautiful. She hadn't been like the others. They had all been conventionally beautiful, fragile even, the kind you'd want hanging off your arm like a trophy, people you'd see in magazines and movies. That's where he'd made his mistake. He hadn't researched them enough, just grabbed them when he saw one he liked. The last two had been different. He had researched while he still had the previous girl and had held off on giving them the injections. He wasn't sure why, it wasn't like he cared what happened to them really, but he had delayed doing it. Part of him thought it was because he didn't want to fail again; he had been alive a long time so it shouldn't have even mattered, but you don't live that long by being careless. He'd also realized that if they couldn't take the demon blood, it would burn them up from the inside. He thought if he'd been a lesser demon it may have been okay, but alphas were stronger in every sense of the word and so he had fully expected it to end badly...and it had. The last two attempts had gone far smoother, he'd even moved on to the second step of his plan, but in the end it had still been too much for them. Ben had mentioned Ava to him when the second to last girl...what had her name been? He shook his head as if to dismiss the thought...had finally broken beyond what even the demon blood could repair. He had already picked out the next girl, a pretty redhead with a military background, but figured if that didn't pan out, maybe this Ava would. The redhead had been working out splendidly, the best yet, but she had talked back once too many times and his temper had snapped, along with her body when he had sliced her throat so violently he'd broken her neck in the process.

He remembered seeing Ava for the first time in person, shortly after he'd dumped Red's body in the park. He'd been milling around the square, debating on whether he should just take someone else or find a way to get to Ava, when he saw her. He'd forgotten Ben had told him she worked at the bookstore. He had sat quietly and watched as she pulled a cart of used books outside and set up a sign. She was shorter than he normally liked and had a little more weight to her than the other girls had. Where they had been tall and sharp, their hips and collarbones accentuated by their tan flesh, she was rounded and soft, curved where they had been move straight, her skin pale but freckled. Her dark blonde hair had been pulled back in a messy pony tail, and it shimmered in the sunlight, bits of copper and strawberry flashing here and there. Someone had passed her as they went into the store and she had smiled widely, a genuine smile, as she laughed at something they had said. And just as quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared back into the cool, dim store. Sebastian felt himself stir at the thought of that first moment and wondered how much it would hurt if he moved on to step two a little sooner than he'd planned. For once, he didn't want to destroy her like the many others. Her talking back and fighting excited him, even when he did lose his temper. He wanted to her to love him, for her to _want_ to have his child. The thought surprised him. Love was mostly a foreign concept to him. He had loved his vetala family, had loved his mother. At least, he thought he did. They'd been his family, but that was different and they were gone anyway. He growled quietly to himself. It was this damn body. The man may have been long dead, but his memories and feelings still lingered like a poison. Love. All he truly wanted was to build his family back up, better and stronger than before, so that not even the most talented and learned hunters could take them away again. Not even the Winchesters. He stood and slowly strolled close to Ava. But, until that moment, here she was, gentle curves and soft edges and it made him hungry. It made a fire pull at his belly and his pants tighten against the throbbing ache he felt at the thought of what he was soon going to do. He slowly reached out and drug his fingertips across her skin, pausing to feel the weight of her breast and the pebbly feel of her nipple as he grazed it. He leaned in close, his lips barely touching her neck, as he took in her scent and sighed. She was captivating, and he wanted nothing more than to bite into that skin and truly taste her, feel the blood warm against his tongue. He tried to remember that she was just a vessel, a means to grow and protect his child. His hand ran down her side, past her hip, and rested gently above her blonde curls. He was tempted to explore her, to taste her, as his fingers slipped through the dense, soft hair surrounding her entrance. He felt a pang of guilt, no doubt some subconscious memory of a rule known by his body's former owner and paused. Ignoring that brief moment of morality, he also didn't want to miss the expression on her face when he did it. He was still debating on what to do when she moaned, her body twitching and pulling as if she was trying to run away from something. He pulled back and looked at her with mild curiosity.

"What is going on in that pretty little head of yours, Ava?"

* * *

 _**The tent was dark when Ava woke, startled by the sudden noise. She must have made a sound because she suddenly felt a hand on her small shoulder as if to calm her._

 _"It's okay, Ava, it's just me. I have to use the bathroom." Her eyes gradually adjusted and she saw her brother crouched next to her._

 _"But we're supposed to stay in the tent." Her brother sighed._

 _"Yea, I know, but I gotta go. I don't want to go all over where we have to walk, it's gross."_

 _"But momma said," Ava whispered, "you stay in here or get Daddy."_

 _"Squish, I know what she said, but it's stupid for me to wake dad up just so I can go pee." Ava looked at him with wide eyes and he sighed again. "I'm just going over behind those trees," he pointed directly behind her," and then I'll be right back.I'll only be gone two minutes. Can you be brave for two minutes?" Ava nodded slowly. Her brother never lied to her. He smiled._

 _"That's my squish." He unzipped the tent and was halfway out when he felt Ava's tiny hand on his arm. He looked back at her._

 _"I love you, bubby." He smiled again._

 _"Love you too. Now lemme go before I pee my pants." He gently pulled himself out of her grasp and zipped the tent shut behind him. Ava sat bolt upright and listened to her brother's footsteps as they got further away. She was lucky; her brother was never mean to her, and if she annoyed him, he never let it show. He never lied to her either, so when he said two minutes, she believed it. She didn't really know how long two minutes was, but she knew it was short and after sitting there for what seemed like forever, she began to worry. Momma had said to stay in the tent. She heard a rustle and sighed in relief._

 _"Jacob?" she whispered. When he didn't answer, she whispered again, "Jacob?" Suddenly, a huge black shadow fell over the tent, followed by a blood curdling scream, and then silence. She sat, frozen, the shadow she saw burned into her memory. She heard her parents scrambling to get out of their tent and her mom's scream as she caught sight of blood spatter across the tent._

 _"Ava! Jacob!" Her tent was roughly unzipped and her dad pushed his way in, fear written across his face. "Ava, where's your brother?" Tears welled up in her eyes._

 _"He...he had to...use...the bathroom." Her dad grabbed her._

 _"He left the tent?" Ava nodded._

 _"I told...him to ask...you..." she said between hitching sobs. Her dad picked her up and cradled her to him._

 _"Its okay, sweetheart, it's not your fault-" He was interrupted by another scream, followed by brush snapping. "Okay, Ava bug, we gotta get out of here. Can you hold real tight to Daddy, sweetheart?"_

 _"Yes..." Her answer was tiny and frightened._

 _"Of course you can, brave girl. Come on." They left the tent to find her mom scouring the site for her other child. "Lilly,, we have to go." She swung around to look at him, her eyes wild._

 _"We can't leave Jacob, Frank. I will not leave him alone, what if he's hurt? I know he is, look..." Her gaze landed on the side of the tent closest to her and Frank pulled Ava tight against his shoulder so she couldn't see._

 _"Lilly, we cannot stay here. I will come back, I will find him, but we have got to get Ava out of have to find help, we can't find him if something happens to us too. We have got to go." Lilly stared at Frank, panic and uncertainty on her face, but finally nodded. "Get to the car. Keep an eye out for Jacob in case he's managed to circle back around. It's only a few minutes to the ranger station by car, it won't take long to get help and come back." They ran to the car, Ava clinging to her father as they sprinted across the field and to the trail leading to the car. Ava heard twigs snapping, could feel her dad's heart beating too fast, could hear her mom's muffled cries as they finally reached the car. Ava was shoved roughly into Lilly's arms. Lilly clung tightly to her daughter as her husband jumped into the car and slammed it into drive._

 _"Momma, what about Jacob?" Lilly smoothed Ava's hair._

 _"We'll come back for him, baby, but we have to keep you safe. Did you see anything?" She nodded but then fear overwhelmed her and she started crying. "Honey, it's okay, it's okay. We will find him. He probably ran off to hide, sweetie, remember how good he is at hide and seek?" Ava nodded._

 _"He promised he'd come back, momma. He promised."_

 _"I know, squish. Bubby keeps his promises, doesn't he? He'll be back." She pulled Ava tighter to her chest. "Frank, can you-" She was interrupted by a loud crash on the roof of the car._

 _"Shit!" Frank managed to keep the car on the road as it fishtailed, and floored it once he'd straightened it up. "Hang on!" He jerked the wheel to the right to take the road to the ranger station, and whatever had been on top of the car disappeared. He quickly pulled into the lot. "Stay here!"**  
_

 _**"Stay here." Ava crossed her arms and stared down her father._

 _"Dad, I can help! I've been reading all about werewolves, I can help you!"_

 _"Absolutely not, Ava Rosalyn. There's a difference between reading about it and actually doing it. You're too young. You will stay here, keep the door locked, and stay quiet."_

 _"Mom!"_

 _"Your father's right, you need to stay here." She sat a bag on the table, then patted Ava's shoulder. "That should be enough for dinner. We shouldn't be gone long." She kissed Ava's forehead. Ava sighed, frustrated, but resigned._

 _"Be careful, momma." Lilly smiled._

 _"We always are, baby." Frank knelt down in front of her._

 _"If anything happens, you remember who to call?"_

 _"Yea, Dad. Pastor Jim or Bobby."_

 _"Good girl." He hugged her tightly. "We'll be back soon." Ava watched glumly as the door shut behind her parents.**  
_

 _**The hotel room door flung open and Ava jumped. Her dad slammed it shut behind him. Lilly grabbed Ava roughly off the bed and drug her into the bathroom._

 _"But momma, I was watching-"_

 _"Hush, Ava." She picked her up, something that she hadn't done in at least year. Ava quieted down and took a better look at her mom as Lilly gently put her in the bathtub. A claw mark crossed her face, fresh blood streaming down her neck and onto the collar of her shirt. She was covered in dirt, and Ava could see fresh bruises blossoming on her arms._

 _"What happened, mom?" Her mother remained silent but hugged her tight. Ava hugged her back. Since her brother had died, she couldn't remember her mom showing as much as affection as she was right now, and she didn't want it to stop._

 _"Listen to me, baby. You need to stay in here, and keep this shower door shut and the bathroom door locked. Do not come out, no matter what you hear. Do you understand me?"_

 _"Is something coming-"_

 _"Do you understand?" Lilly repeated urgently. Ava nodded. "Tell me what I said."_

 _"Stay in here and keep the bathroom door locked and the shower door closed, no matter what I hear." Lilly smiled as tears spilled down her cheeks._

 _"That's my girl." Ava looked over her mother's shoulder and saw her father rip a comforter and pillow off the bed. He hurried into the bathroom._

 _"Cover up with this. When we leave this room, you make sure that door is locked and you get right into that tub._

 _"Daddy, what's going on?" He smiled and brushed her hair away from her face._

 _"It's just a really big job, squish. Some of the werewolves got away, and me and your momma have to take care of them so that everyone is safe." He sat the small bag he'd carried in with him on Ava's lap. "If something happens, who do you tell them to call?"_

 _"Pastor Jim or Bobby."_

 _"You remember where to get their information?" Ava patted the bag._

 _"In the small inside pocket." Frank pulled Ava close and kissed the top of her head._

 _"That's my Ava. You're a brave, smart girl. We love you so much, sweetheart. Now you make sure this door is locked, and you stay low." He looked at her one last time, then pulled Lilly away and shut the door. Ava, just like any other time her father told her to do something, immediately made sure that the door was locked, then climbed into the tub and shut the door. She pulled the bag close to her, then laid down and completely covered herself with the comforter. No sooner than she settled in, she heard thumps and snarls coming from the main room. She curled herself around her backpack. A scream cut through the air and Ava pulled the pillow over her head._

 _"Stay here...stay here...stay here..."**  
_

* * *

"No!" Ava cried out, pulling at her restraints. The sudden movement should have startled Sebastian, who was still standing against her with his hands now resting on both hips. She opened her eyes to see Sebastian staring at her. He smiled slowly.

"What did you see?" She looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean? I didn't...it was a nightmare..." Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I think it was more than that, sweetheart." He ran his hand up her side and she grimaced. "Demon blood tends to bring out the worst, the most hidden. Are you sure it was just a nightmare?"

"No worse than being here." Ava spat. Sebastian stared at her, emotionless, then reached behind her and slowly pulled the chain. Ava bit her lip to keep from crying out as her feet once again dangled just above the floor.

"Is that so?" He puled a knife from his pocket, unfolded it, then slowly pulled it against Ava's right forearm, leaving a deep gash. She gasped but managed to keep from yelling, so he did it again down her other forearm. "My patience is beginning to run very thin, Ava." Blood dripped from the knife and down his wrist. He glanced down at it, and his eyes flashed blue. "I really liked this shirt. Do you know how hard it is to get blood out of clothing?" He put the point of the knife into her shoulder. "It's a lot of work. But at this point, what's a little more?" Sebastian slammed the knife into her in one swift motion. Ava opened her mouth to scream but the only sound that came out was a strangled gasp. Sebastian let go of the knife, and it stayed where it was, sticking out of Ava's shoulder almost comically. He laughed and Ava looked at him, tears pouring down her face. "Oh, don't look at me like that." He picked a syringe off the cart. "I'm going to give you another chance...I just can't help myself. I like you, and I'd hate to be too harsh with you just because you are a little fiery." He slid the needle into her neck and she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the moment her veins felt like fire. He slowly pushed the dark liquid into her and, as the first flames licked at her veins and muscles, she began to scream.


	8. The One Where Sebastian Has Guests

****Disclaimer: None of the characters or Supernatural belongs to me. Which is sad but true, so there's that. The OCs do belong to me, and hopefully you like them. There is some mild assault mentioned, but it's not a lot and not super detailed although it is worth mentioning just in case.**

 **Author's note: Sorry this part took so long! I've been working about 11 hours a day for the past couple of weeks, plus I'm getting ready for a comic convention and my wisdom teeth are getting cut out. I'm not sure how I feel about the writing in this chapter, but hopefully it comes together and makes sense. I think it's getting close to being kind of wrapped up? I have some feelings about it, so we'll see where it goes. Please favorite, follow, review...reviews go a long way in helping me and my writing, and also I just like hearing if you guys like stuff. Okay, so here's Chapter 8!****

Sam and Dean had picked up the blueprints to the warehouse, then drove over to see how hard it would be to get inside the compound. Although it looked like the fence went all the way around, they were happy to find that a large section of it towards the back had either been knocked down or had finally just fallen due to years of weather and rust. Dean drove the Impala around back and parked it between the main building and one of the storage buildings to hide it just in case someone did come around, and they had walked the entire perimeter to see where would be the best entrance. One of the loading dock doors looked the most promising, so they went back to the car to look at the layout and figure out a game plan.

"So if you had kidnapped someone and wanted to torture them into bearing your bastard love child, where would you go?" Sam rolled his eyes at Dean. "What?"

"Nothing." He looked down at the blueprint. So there five buildings, but these two here seem to be the main ones. The second one here looks like it may just be storage, or somewhere to process incoming deliveries before moving them to the main building. It's not very big though, not as big as the main building. That one has a huge central room that I assume was used for production at one point, and then there are several smaller and midsize rooms scattered on the first and second floors. I would assume the second floor would mostly be offices or other storage areas. There looks like there is a basement too, although the only way I see to go down there is this industrial elevator."

"So basement, then? Not like anyone is going to hear anything anyway since we're so far past the other warehouses, but that would make it even more of a barrier if he moved his fun times underground." Sam nodded.

"That would be my assumption. It's also possible that he's keeping her in different rooms and just moving her around. It would throw her off, make it harder for her to get away. She wouldn't know where she was. It might inconvenient for him to do that if she tried to fight back, but he could just use his venom to knock her out." Sam paused and thought about the other tactics he might decide to use to keep her quiet and sedated. None of them were things he really wanted to think about. He looked closer at the blueprints. "I think there might be a door that leads straight into the basement from the outside. It may just be a window though, this part of the blueprint has water damage so I can't tell. Could be an easier way in. We could split up, you go through the loading dock, I'll see if I can get in through the basement." Dean laughed.

"You're freaking huge, man. If that's a window, there's no way in hell you're going to fit through it. You go through the loading dock and I'll go through the window." Sam glared at him.

"Rock, paper, scissors then. Loser gets the loading dock." Dean grinned.

"You're on, buddy."

"Alright, on three. One...two...three." Sam threw rock confidently; his brother always threw scissors. You could do it five times in a row and Dean would still always go for scissors. Sam laughed. "Guess you get the loading dock-" he trailed off when he realized Dean had thrown paper. Dean was looking at him gleefully, his green eyes sparkling in the dim light coming from the streetlamps.

"Ha! Nailed it." Sam looked at him, caught off guard, then shook his head.

"Nope, best two out of three. Come on, let's go. One...two...three." Sam threw scissors thinking Dean would stick with paper. Once he got in a groove he'd stick to it. But this time, Dean threw rock. "Are you kidding me?! Since when do you throw anything other than scissors?" Dean shrugged

"Just luck, man. Looks like you're getting the loading dock."Sam opened his mouth to argue but was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Hello?" Dean could hear a familiar voice answer. "Hey Garth...yea, we're here. Looks like there's at least one decent door to get through, and Dean is going to try to get into the basement through what we think might be a window...No, we don't know where she's at. There are a couple of places that look promising but we haven't gone in yet, we're sitting in the car. We thought about waiting until morning...you're on your way now? Oh, okay..well, we'll be here keeping watch, it's pretty quiet-" A scream cut faintly through the night, so quiet that the boys almost missed it.

"Sammy, did you hear that?" Sam nodded.

"I...I think so?" They waited a moment, and then another scream that was slightly louder than the first echoed through the empty lot. The sound of it made Sam's heart skip a beat; there's no way her screams should be resonating that loudly all the way from the basement. "Garth, we have to go in. We can hear her screaming. I'll send you the address, just pull around back, the fence is down. What? No, we can't wait, there might not be time. ...Dammit Garth, just hurry up." Sam hung up on him and jammed his phone back in his pocket. "He wants us to wait, he said it's too dangerous for just the two of us." Dean scoffed at the idea of Garth saving them.

"My left leg is bigger than that man. What was his master plan, sock puppet the thing to death?" Dean climbed out of the car and hurried to the trunk. "Alright, silver knife to the heart, shouldn't be too difficult." He tossed one to Sam. "I'm taking the Colt. Take this one." He tossed another gun to Sam.

"Why do you get the Colt? This one can't even do anything to it...do we at least have silver bullets?

"Because I'm older. And yes, already loaded. It may not work as well as a knife to the heart, but it should stun it. At least if you get in a tight spot. Just take it, dude." Sam shrugged and shoved it in the waistband of his jeans, against his back. "Ready? You take the loading dock, I'll take the basement. And be careful, don't wanna have to stitch you up. Again." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Right." Dean watched as Sam disappeared into the shadows that led to the loading dock. Another scream prompted him to move and he took off to the back of the main building. It took him a moment to find the spot Sam had been talking about and when he saw it he groaned. It wasn't a door, but Dean wasn't sure if it could even be considered a window. It was incredibly narrow, and short. Sam would have never fit through the opening, and Dean didn't know if he could even do it. He reached out experimentally with his foot and pushed against the window with his boot. It stayed put, rusted and painted shut over the years. He took a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapped it around the butt of the Colt and hit the glass, hard. It shattered with a quiet tinkle, and he kicked the rest of it out of the frame as carefully as he could. He looked at the tiny opening again and sighed. This was going to suck. He stuck his head through first to check out what he was going to land on and if anything was down there but too dark to tell. He flipped around and stuck his feet through the hole.

"God, it's me, Dean Winchester. I'm gonna need you to not let anything grab my legs while my ass dangling out in open space. Alright? I don't ask for much, man." He slowly shimmied his way through the window, and for a brief, terrifying moment, his shoulders got stuck and he couldn't go down or back up through the window. "This...wasn't...part of...the deal!" Dean muttered as he struggled to push his way through. Finally, with one last thrust of his hips, he managed to pop loose and fall five feet to the basement floor. He laid there for a minute, the wind knocked out of him, and wondered how he'd manager to get himself in this mess when he should have been at the bunker, enjoying his memory foam mattress, and watching anime that would not be suitable for anyone under the age of 21...or over 21 for that matter. Another scream disrupted his pity party and he forced himself up and out of the floor. He remember his flashlight in his pocket and fumbled it, hoping that the fall didn't break it. Luck was with him this time and the cool white light illuminated the room he was in. It was dusty and filled with old machinery, but he didn't see anything of importance. He pulled out the Colt and slowly walked out of that room and down the hall. As he walked, he noticed doors scattered down either side of him, all of them shut, but at the far end the hall seemed to lead out into a larger room, one that was better lit. He clicked the flashlight off and quietly approached the doorway. He stopped short of the entrance. The angle was a little off, but he could see the back of a tall man pacing back and forth muttering, although Dean couldn't tell if it was to himself or someone else at first.

"Oh, come on. It isn't going to be _that_ bad. Honestly, you've been through worse, and I wasn't even the one doing it." Dean heard a quiet response, tired and desperate, but so quiet it barely even registered. "Well, Ben had mentioned it to me during our little boys night in, but it wasn't that hard to find. Just because they say something is sealed, doesn't mean you can't unseal it eventually." Silence. The man disappeared from view, so Dean crept further into the door frame. Ava hung naked from two chains that were threaded through pulleys. Her head hung limply against her chest, and blood streamed down her front. He saw what looked like a knife sticking out from one of her shoulders, but he couldn't see the extent of her other injuries. The man had walked closer to her and Dean heard the unmistakable sound of a belt being undone.

"No fucking way," he muttered. He slid slowly from the doorway and along the back wall, quietly easing his way behind the vetala.

"Sebastian..." her voice was quiet but it carried across the room to Dean.

"Oh sweetie, we knew it was coming to this. I wish the circumstances were different but...look at you. I can't wait anymore. You're so tempting." Sebastian kissed Ava and his hand began to wander down her body. Dean heard Ava groan, a desperate and terrified sound that both angered and sickened him. He kept the Colt trained on Sebastian as he pulled out the silver knife he'd slipped into the sheath at his side. Sebastian seemed to be distracted by what he wanted next from Ava, so Dean was able to get right behind much easier than he'd anticipated. Just as he was about to sink the knife into Sebastian's back, the knife was ripped out of his hand by an invisible force and he was thrown several feet back up against an old piece of machinery. The Colt dropped from his hand, the wind knocked out of him, and he watched in surprise as Sebastian turned around and grinned at him. "Who do we have here?" He walked slowly towards Dean, his eyes back to being icy blue and his fangs showing over his human teeth. Dean struggled, caught off guard by a power a vetala shouldn't have had, and Sebastian laughed. "Didn't expect that, did you...Winchester?" Dean's eyes widened. "Oh, I know who you are. You denim clad flannel nightmares are far too well known to slip past my attention. Although I'm surprised you made it this far without me noticing." He nodded back over his shoulder. "She's good at being...distracting." He got right in Dean's face and smiled. "You aren't as intimidating when you don't have any control over your own body, huh? You can't bully and push and shove...which is what you're good at. You aren't good with words, you just punch and cut and slash. You're nothing without being able to move." Dean narrowed his eyes but remained silent. "You're probably wondering how I can do this anyway, vetalas don't usually have control like this. But you see, that's what being an alpha is all about. And, in case you've forgotten, vetalas are demons. We aren't those black eyed dogs you usually deal with...at least I'm not. I'm afforded some extra privileges. It makes it so much easier to deal with pests like you." He looked Dean in the eye and tilted his head as if pondering what to do with him. Suddenly, the air was knocked out of him as Sebastian slammed a fist into his stomach and black crept into the edge of his vision. "The invincible Dean Winchester, the righteous man. All I see is a man who made the mistake of coming into my home on his own, and tried to be a hero." He roughly patted Dean's face. "Well, now the hero can watch what he can't stop. You can't win them all, Deano." He started to walk away, then swung a fist into Dean's jaw. His head snapped to the left and Dean swore under his breath. Sebastian lazily sauntered over to where Ava hung, locked eyes with Dean, and with a grin started running his hand over Ava's body, slowly and deliberately, before settling on her breast and pinching her nipple hard between his thumb and pointer finger. Ava moaned weakly but didn't bother to try to move away from him. Dean spat blood and glared at him.

"You know, I thought you might be a sick son of a bitch, but you just had to really go out of your way to prove it, huh?

"Oh, you've not seen anything yet, Deano. Not a _damn thing_. This is...this is nothing compared to what I have planned. Although, this is better. I didn't think I'd have an audience, and oh how I enjoy being watched. It really turns me on, and Ben was supposed to be here so I was disappointed when I had to kill him. But this...oh, just thinking about a Winchester watching what I'm getting ready to do to his precious thing really riles me up." His hand slipped further down Ava's body, sliding gently past her button to reset between her legs. Ava whimpered. "See, she wants it. Don't you, darling?" Dean struggled against his invisible bonds.

"You son of a bitch, I will fucking _tear you apart_ ," Dean hissed. Sebastian gave him a deadly smile.

"Oh, Dean, if anyone here is tearing anyone up, it'll be me. And I'm going to start with this mouth-watering pussy right here. I am going to fill her up, over and over and _over_ again, and I will make you watch. The things I will make her do...and you won't be able to stop it. You will watch and you will listen and you will know that no matter what you try to do, it will...not...stop. Although...you're not so bad looking yourself, so once I finish with her, you might just be next on my list." He winked at Dean, then slowly sunk his finger inside of Ava, all the while keeping his eyes locked with Dean's. Dean tried to look away, but Sebastian forced him to look at them with just a nod of his head. Ava weakly tried to pull away, and for the first time looked up at Dean. It was like Jo was looking at him, only instead of the dark chocolate brown he'd found himself lost in so many times, they were a beautiful blue. It felt like someone had punched the air out of him, and as he remained held against his will and unable to help, he wondered just how much more she could take. Her face was swollen and bruised and he could see that although the knife was still sticking out of her shoulder, she had at least two other stab wounds. Most of her front was covered in dried blood so he couldn't tell how many other wounds she had, and her arms looked dangerously close to being pulled from their sockets. Sebastian began moving his finger in and out of Ava, all the while staring at Dean and smiling. He slipped a second finger inside and Ava made an awful sound, and Dean cringed. Her eyes locked with his over Sebastian's shoulder and Dean's heart ached. Although she was clearly in a bad place, the look she gave him was a comforting one, as if he was the one that needed to be comforted.

"Why are you doing this?" Sebastian shrugged.

"Well, first because I can. Secondly, you and people like you have killed my family. I'm alone. I mean sure, there are others, but they're weak and every time I turn around some hunter is killing yet another one. I need them to be stronger than that."

"Okay fine, but the torture? Why is any of this necessary? What the hell kind of purpose does any of serve?" Sebastian pulled his finger from Ava, put the digit in his mouth, and licked it clean.

"She is absolutely divine...I wish you could taste her," he sighed contentedly. "Some of it does serve a purpose, but I don't have to explain myself to you. The rest is just for fun. That's just the kind of person I am, and this body I decided to take? He was no angel himself. Turns out you don't have to be a literal monster to be a monster." He pulled his belt from the loops and doubled it up, sliding it through the buckle so it created a loop he could slip his hand through. "Now the question is: do I make you watch, or do I make Ava watch me destroy the one chance she had to get out of here? Both options seem intriguing, but which...one...do...I...choose?" He circled around Dean and Ava dropped her head back down. He clucked is tongue. "Well, if she's not going to pay attention, there's no use starting with you. And, if I know anything about you Winchester boys, watching something you can't stop absolutely _destroys_ of Winchesters plural, where's that behemoth brother of yours?" Dean shook his head. Sebastian pulled back his arm and slammed the belt across Dean's chest and he bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood to keep from crying out. "I will ask you one more time. Where...is...your...brother?"

"He's right here, asshole."

* * *

Sam had kicked in the loading dock door with little effort although he did cringe at the sound it made when it hit the floor. He paused for a moment, and when no one immediately appeared, he quickly crept into the darkness. He'd forgotten his flashlight, but this part of the building had enough windows, the tall kind placed high towards the ceiling that could be opened for ventilation, that the light from the almost full moon lit his way pretty well. Although there were still various machines scattered around, the place was mostly empty and had few places for someone to hide. He had his gun pulled, although he realized as he searched for another way to the basement that if he ran into the vetala it would be next to useless. He reached the elevator shaft and looked around. There were no doors leading to a stairwell, or any sign that something like that existed anywhere. If there was on, it wasn't near the large elevator that would take deliveries and machinery downstairs and Sam didn't have time to look. He grunted as he forced the elevator doors open and looked down the shaft. This time, luck was with him; the elevator itself was on the second floor and the ladder, although rusty and probably not incredibly safe, was still in one piece. He jammed the elevator door open with a loose brick and lowered himself down to the ladder. He held his breath as he felt it shift dangerously under his weight. With a groan, he slowly made his way down, pausing every so often as the ladder creaked and gave way slightly. He finally reached the bottom and dropped to the floor, silently thanking whoever was listening. He looked up nervously at the elevator that was hanging above him suddenly aware that his precarious situation was still not over, and added an extra plea to his unspoken request. He took a deep breath and forced the door in front of him open and slipped through, letting it slide shut behind him with a rusty groan. The hall in front of him ran right to left and he stood for a moment, contemplating which direction he should go. He heard a muffled thud echo from his right, and so he began to slightly edge towards the sound. He came to another junction and paused. The muffled sound of voices carried down the hall towards him and he turned left. There was an open door at the end of the hall, so he crept toward it and leaned around the door jamb.

"You son of a bitch, I will fucking _tear you apart_." Sam heard Dean hiss at the vetala, his voice low and dangerous. Although he couldn't see anything from where he was, he could hear the creature answer him. Sam's stomach dropped as he listened to his description of what he'd do to Ava. He slipped further into the doorway and could see the back of the vetala, how Ava hung from the ceiling, and Dean pinned to a rusty machine, both the Colt and his knife flung across the floor. Sam could not get to the Colt easily, which would have made this as easy if not easier than a silver knife, but he had begun to form a plan. He was pretty sure if Dean had known what his plan was he'd call him a dumbass, and he was sure after this was done he'd probably still call him a dumbass, but it was the only thing he could of to do. He crouched as well as he could and crossed out of the door way and into the room. Ava was blocking most of his view, and he wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but judging by the look on Dean's face, it couldn't have been anything good. He watched as the vetala circled Dean and he ducked down behind one of the machines closest to where Ava was hanging.

"Well, if she's not going to pay attention, there's no using starting with you. And, if I know anything about you Winchester boys, watching something you can't stop absolutely _destroys_ you. Speaking of Winchesters plural, where's that behemoth brother of yours?" Sam had ducked out of the way so he didn't see it, but he heard the crack of something snapping through the air and the sound it made as it snicked across thin fabric. "I will ask you one more time. Where...is...your...brother?" Rage went through Sam so quickly he forgot the plan he'd had in place. He stepped out from behind the machine he'd ducked behind and had his gun leveled at Sebastian's back.

"He's right here, asshole." Sebastian jerked around to find Sam holding the gun on him as he slowly walked forward. He grinned.

"Ah, there he is. The boy with the demon blood, little Sammy. Well, not so little anymore, are you? What are you going to do with that peashooter, huh? You know that's no good against me, handsome." He tilted his head. "Are you just going to stand there and stare? You're much quieter than your brother." Sam smiled and Dean saw the coldness in it.

"Yea, I am. But you see, that also means that I listen. I pay attention. And even though I know this _peashooter_ won't do a hell of a lot of good against you, I also know that it can be a very good distraction for me to get what I want." Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"And what is it that you want exactly? Because you won't be able to move fast enough to do anything even if you do pull that trigger." Sam tilted his head, his dimples showing as his smile widened slightly.

"I want you to let my brother go." He squeezed the trigger and in the instant that the bullet left the barrel and made it's way toward Sebastian, Dean felt the hold keeping him against the machinery loosen. Sam pulled the trigger again, and this time the bullet found its way home in Sebastian's shoulder. He screamed out, and Dean fell to the ground. Sebastian swung around to where Sam had been to find the younger Winchester missing. Dean scrambled for the knife and grabbed it, but before he could stand back up he felt a booted foot hit him hard in the ribs.

"Shit!" He looked up to see Sebastian, arm bloody and a look of rage on his face.

"He wanted you free, well now here you are. I am going to free you, alright, of your _organs_." Sebastian grabbed Dean by the collar, but before he could do anything, a large mass flew into Sebastian and pulled him away from Dean. Dean jumped up, knife still in hand, and saw Sam and Sebastian rolling around on the ground, each trying to get purchase.

"Sammy!" Sam managed to get back to his feet and deal a vicious blow to the underside of Sebastian's jaw with his boot. Dean heard a crack as the steel toe connected with bone. Sebastian began to laugh.

"Oh, Sammy. Sammy, Sammy, Sammy." Before Sam or Dean could move to end it, Sebastian stood and had both brothers pinned back against one of the machines. The only thing either of them could do was turn their heads. Garth had been right; they should have waited for reinforcements. Sebastian cracked his jaw back into place and wiggled it back and forth. "You boys are...well, you're just not very good house guests. You've interrupted my play time, you've shot me and broken my jaw. Ava has been hanging over there neglected, and you just think you're going to get by with that?" He punched Sam in the face, "No," he punched again, "you," he punched him in the stomach, "won't." One more shot to the face. Sam groaned and Dean struggled once again against bonds he couldn't see. Sebastian slowly rolled his head so that he could see Dean and he smiled. "Oooohhhh, yea, you're got this weird thing with your brother. You'd sacrifice anything for him, wouldn't you? Well, this time you're going to watch me finish my business with Ava, and then you're going to watch me kill your brother. I am done playing games. This will end bloody for you, just like you always thought it would." Sebastian bent down and picked up Sam's knife and rolled it back and forth between his hands. "Or maybe I should just start with ol' Sammy boy here." Sam's eyes widened as Sebastian came towards him with the knife, the point of it coming dangerously close to his throat. Suddenly, Sebastian stopped. He moved back and then tried to move forward again and stopped at the same place. No matter how hard he moved forward, he couldn't get past what seemed like an invisible barrier. Sam looked at Dean and Dean shrugged, equally as confused. "What...are you...doing?" He tried stabbing Sam again and his arm stopped again, then was slowly bent back towards himself. They heard a bone snap as Sebastian's arm twisted at an unnatural angle. Sam looked over and saw that Ava, despite still being hung from the chains, was looking up at them again. A fresh stream of blood was coming from her nose and Sam looked on as she nodded her head slightly and one of Sebastian's legs broke. His arm was already beginning to go back to normal, but the diversion was just enough. With Sebastian distracted, his hold on Dean and Sam let up. Dean grabbed the knife that was still gripped tightly in Sebastian's hand and grabbed him by the collar.

"I forgot to bring a housewarming gift, I hope this'll be good enough for ya." Dean jammed the knife into Sebastian's chest and twisted it. Sebastian grabbed weakly at Dean, but it was too late. The damage had been done. Dean looked up in time to see Sam running over to where Ava was.

"Ava...hey...hey, I gotcha." Sam lowered the chain and Ava sunk to the ground. He looked around for a key for the restraints, but when he didn't find any, he grabbed one of the knives off of the cart. Ava flinched back away from him and Sam knelt down. "I'm sorry, I'm not going to hurt you, I just need you to get out of these cuffs, okay?" He got the cuffs off and gently laid her on the floor. "Okay, so next thing, I have to get this knife out of your shoulder. It's going to hurt, Ava, I'm sorry...but I have to." He pulled off both his shirts and laid the flannel one off to the side.

"What's your name?" Her voice, although quiet, startled him.

"It's Sam." She smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Sam." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Go...go ahead...I think...I think I'm ready." Sam grasped the knife in his hand.

"On three, okay? One..." he pulled the knife out fast and Ava, despite trying not to react, groaned loudly. Sam took his t shirt, ripped it in half, then pressed one half against her shoulder and used the second half to tie it in place. "You're doing great, Ava. I'm just going to put this shirt on you now, okay?" She kept her eyes shut, but nodded. He slipped his shirt around her and buttoned it. She was so small it swallowed her up, but it covered her completely which had been his goal. "I hope that's better. How are you doing?"

"S'nice," she muttered. She was starting to slip, and her eyes fluttered as she fought to keep them open.

"I need you to stay awake for me. Just a little bit longer, okay, kiddo? Now, I'm going to pick you up and we're getting out of here. Do you remember where any of the doors are?" She shook her head weakly. "It's okay, we'll be out in a flash." He carefully slid his one arm under her knees and made sure her arm was around his neck. He stood, and found Dean watching, still standing above Sebastian's body. Sam began to walk towards his brother when the cart caught his attention and he paused when he saw something that made him realize what had happened earlier. "Ava...did he use that syringe?" She nodded, but didn't say anything. "Do you...do you know what he had in it?" She nodded again but still stayed silent. His heart dropped as he realized what had happened. He pulled her tighter to his chest. "Don't worry...we'll figure it out. We have to get you patched up. Dean..." Dean nodded weakly as he looked at Ava.

"Let's get out of here."


	9. The One Where Sam Has A Secret

****Author's Note and Disclaimer: Supernatural does not belong to me, and neither does its characters. Which is sad, but just something I have to muster through. Sorry it took so long for this chapter, I've been crazy busy at work and I also had to get all my wisdom teeth cut out. This one is a bit shorter, and hopefully it makes sense...I wrote some of it while I was on medication for my teeth. lol I'm hoping that it's not too out of character for Dean, I think him not talking about his feelings properly fits pretty well, but the jealousy is a little different I think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I hope to have the next chapter out a little sooner!****

After finding no other way out of the basement aside from the two entrances Sam and Dean had originally come through earlier, they had managed to pull an old desk over to the window Dean had used. Somehow Sam managed to squeeze himself through the window, although for a moment Dean really thought he was legitimately stuck.

"You okay there, Pooh Bear?" he chuckled as Sam grunted and pushed his way through. He had glanced down at Ava leaning against one of the shelves when he said it, and although her eyes were still shut, a ghost of a smile appeared. He took that as a good sign, even though her paleness concerned him. "I have to hand you to Sam now, okay? This window is really small, so I'm sorry if it's a tight fit."

"S'okay. I've been through worse." Dean paused for a moment, unsure, but then Ava chuckled quietly to herself. "Too soon?" Dean grinned.

"Nah. Perfect timing, kid. Alright, here we go." He gently lifted her up and into the window and was surprised when she shifted and began pulling herself up through the exit on her own. She managed to pull herself up and out, and was in a standing position before she started to fall over. Sam caught her before she hit the ground and looked at Dean, surprise on his face. His face said what Dean was thinking: 'How in the hell did she just do that?' Dean pulled himself up through the window and pulled out his phone. "Yo, Garth. It's done. Yes, she's fine. Well, not fine but in mostly one piece, so that's something. ….Yea, she's going to need some medical attention. Do you know anyone that'll help us out without questioning it? I don't know, what...are we?" He glanced at Sam. "Hold on let me ask. Hey Sammy, are we…are we taking her?" Sam looked down at Ava, who had finally fallen asleep in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I mean, who else is going to take her? I think we need to, Dean. …I mean, she's been through a lot, her only family is gone, we don't know what or if she remembers anything…at least for now, where is she going to go?" Dean nodded curtly and put the phone back to his ear.

"Yea, we are. If we can just get the worst of it taken care of…I'm not sure, she might need blood. It's…it's pretty bad, man. He did a number on her. We can get her back to the bunker, we've got enough medical supplies, but…" He listened for a moment. "You have someone then? We can get her patched up, then take her? ….Alright, good. We'll meet there in….twenty minutes. See you then." Dean hung up and walked towards the Impala. "Garth has a friend that runs a vet clinic about twenty minutes from here, but he runs a hunter clinic on the side, apparently one of us saved his ass from something at some point, so he's going to meet us there, and so will Garth. That way we can just take her straight to the bunker without having to stay the night here, no questions asked." Sam nodded.

"Good. Let's go then." Sam sat Ava in the backseat, then folded his long frame next to her so that she could stretch out but he could still hold her as still as he could. A thin sheen of sweat dotted her forehead, but she still pulled closer into him as if seeking the heat from his bare chest. "It's alright, I gotcha." He brushed the hair out of her face, and smiled at her as she opened her eyes.

"Thank you…"

"You don't have to thank us. It's our job, we're just glad you're safe."

"How did you know? How…how did you find me?" Her voice was so low that Sam could barely hear her.

"Well, we didn't know about you at first. It's kind of a long story, but once we got here we figured out that you were missing. It took some digging, but we managed to find everything we needed to find you." Sam paused, unsure if he should continue. "We found your sketchbook…the one with the devil's trap." Dean cleared his throat and Sam met his eye in the rear-view. Dean shook his head. "Do you…where did you find that?" Ava shrugged weakly.

"Came to me in a dream. I didn't know what it was. Devil's trap?"

"Yea…but we don't have to talk about it right now…it just…I was just wondering. It helped us find you." Dean looked up in the rear-view again and watched Sam and Ava. He was mostly hearing Sam's side of the conversation; Ava's voice was too low to hear over the roar of the Impala's engine and the rattling in the heater. His chest tightened as he watched Sam hold Ava close to him, her head laying gently on his bare shoulder, and it was made worse by the fact that she was wrapped in his giant flannel. He huffed quietly to himself, and felt stupid that he was so jealous about a girl he'd never met, jealous because of his brother's proximity to her, and that it was him comforting her instead of Dean. Dean had had the chance to be the one to sit in the back with her, but had hurried to the driver's side of the Impala because he still couldn't quite get over her resemblance to Jo. It was stupid, he knew it was, but even after all the years that had passed he still couldn't get the look on Jo's face at that hardware store out of his mind. Ava's face had looked so much like it, streaked in blood and tears. He heard Sam mumbling and strained to hear what they were saying.

"Where?" Sam brushed Ava's hair away from her neck and leaned gently over her to look. A quiet hiss escaped him and he pulled her hair back down over her neck as if covering something. Ava whispered something else to him, and Sam's brows knitted in concern. "No, it's…it's okay. We'll figure it out….we'll talk more about it later, okay? You need to rest."

"It hurts, Sam." He frowned.

"I know, kiddo. You've got a lot of injuries, we'll get you fixed up." She shook her head.

"No…not that. It burns. It feels like…it feels like there's fire in my veins. Like I'm…like I'm burning from the inside out." It's then that Sam noticed how hot her skin had gotten, and that the light sheen of sweat she'd had before had turned into rolling drops, soaking the shirt he had her wrapped in. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, and her skin was becoming more and more pallid.

"Dean…how much longer?" Dean glanced sharply up at the rear-view mirror and his eyes met Sam's darkened, worried ones.

"What's wrong?"

"Just...how much longer, man?" Dean could tell his brother was trying to keep his voice steady and calm, but the strain was evident.

"Just a few more minutes, we're almost there."

"Drive faster."

* * *

By the time they made it to the clinic, Ava was unconscious. Her breathing had become ragged, and she had begun to groan and cry out. Sam thought he knew what the cause was, was almost positive, but was afraid to say anything to Dean or the doctor in fear of how they'd react, Dean especially. He hurried out of the car and into the clinic, rushing through the door as Garth pushed it open.

"Back here, son." The doctor, who insisted they just call him Jack, hurried towards the back of the building and pulled a book shelf away from the wall. The room that was hidden behind it was small, but clean and fully stocked. "Let's go ahead and get her down, can you tell me what happened?" Sam spoke in low, rushed tones, gesturing occasionally. Dean watched from the doorway, his eyes occasionally landing on Ava, so he missed it when Sam glanced quickly over his shoulder and quietly whispered something else to Jack. Jack's eyebrows shot up and he looked like he was about to say something but Sam shook his head and looked at him with pleading eyes. By the time Dean had switched his attention back to Sam, he had completely missed the entire interaction. "Alright, boys, you'll need to get on out of here, let me work. I'll call you as soon as I'm done." Sam looked hesitant, and Jack clapped him on the shoulder. "Go on, son. I've got a couple of sweatshirts that might fit you in my office, you two sit and breathe for a few, alright?" Sam nodded and followed Dean out into the lobby and into Jack's office. Dean sprawled out on the couch that was in there and Sam pulled one of the sweatshirts on. Dean looked over and snorted.

"I think he should have emphasized might a little more. Dude, you look ridiculous." Sam looked down. The bottom of the hoodie barely reached his belly button and the sleeves ended just below his elbow. He glared at Dean, then pulled off the offending garment and tossed it on the desk. The other hoodie wasn't any bigger, so he sat grumpily on the top of the desk and crossed his arms. "Dude, just go out to the Impala and get something." Sam glared.

"That's a great idea, if all of our stuff wasn't at the hotel. Jerk." Dean grimaced.

"Bitch." They sat quietly for a moment and listened to Ava's faint moans as the doctor worked on her. "Think she's gonna be alright?" Sam shrugged.

"I don't know, man. She's been through a lot. From what I could find, she's been through a lot before but...but this..." he shook his head. "We don't even know what else he did to her. How could anyone..."

"He wasn't anyone, Sammy. He was a monster. A demon. They don't have feelings, not for other people or creatures. They don't care. And he was an alpha, which added an extra layer of being an extreme dick. Demon blood does not a good person make." Sam flinched at the mention of demon blood, but if Dean noticed, he said nothing about it. "Wonder how much she remembers of everything else...her family and stuff."

"I don't think she remembers anything right now, if she did, she didn't say anything in the car. It's just a matter of time though. Do you think someone wiped her memory? Why...why would they do that?" Dean sighed.

"Give her a normal life. Let her be innocent, grow up in a world that's normal and not filled with nightmares." Sam stood and walked over to the bookshelf blocking them from seeing Ava.

"Normal. She didn't get innocent or normal. She didn't get a nightmare free life after all. And what little normalcy she did have was taken. How is this any better than if she'd just stayed a hunter?" Dean scoffed.

"You can't possibly be serious. You would have traded the time you had with Jess for this? Your experience at Stanford? Everything?" Sam's head dropped.

"If the end was result was this anyway...yea. She'd be alive and I wouldn't have to see her die over and over again." Dean started to respond but was interrupted by the bookshelf sliding back.

"Well, boys, she's stable. I honest to God do not know how, but she is. I've stitched up the worst of the cuts, but she's still burning up, and still unconscious. She...she went through the wringer." He sat at his desk and ran a hand across his face.

"Did he...was she..." Sam couldn't finish his question. Jack sighed.

"There are signs of...sexual abuse, yes. But it doesn't look like he got too far with it. You boys showed up in time. How far of a drive do you boys have?"

"About 2 hours." Jack nodded.

"She needs to rest for a couple of hours before you take off. How about you boys head back to the hotel, gather your stuff up, maybe get a few winks in, huh?" Dean stood up and stretched.

"I think that's a good plan. Come on Sammy, let's go." Sam shook his head.

"Nah, I think...I should stay here. In case she wakes up. She needs at least one face she recognizes." Dean scowled. A face she recognized? They'd met her not even two hours earlier, and Sam was already moving in.

"We don't even know her, dude. She'll be fine with Garth until we get back." Sam shook his head again.

"No, I think one of us needs to stay. You got the worst of it in there, you need to rest. Take a break, man. I'll keep an eye out here, fill in Garth." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, dude. I'll be back in a couple hours. I think there might be a shirt in the trunk if you want to check before I leave." Sam walked outside with Dean. "What the hell is going on with you?" Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean as he searched the trunk and found a moderately clean shirt that must have fallen out of his bag.

"What?" Dean gestured towards the building.

"What is this savior attitude about? She'll be fine here with Garth and Jack, Sebastian is gone, and to our knowledge, nothing else would be after her. So, what gives?" Sam yanked the shirt on and started buttoning it.

"I think the question should be why do you care? You didn't want to come here to start with, and even when I was right, you've barely wanted to be around her. I get that she looks like Jo, and that's apparently uncomfortable for you, but I'm not going to just leave her here. She at least knows we're here to help, she shouldn't wake up to two people she doesn't know at all." Dean glared at Sam, and the younger Winchester realized he'd likely pushed it too far.

"Do not bring Jo into this. In fact, don't bring her up at all. I don't give a rat's ass what the girl looks like, Sam. She'll be fine. But if you want to stay here and creep on her like some sort of weirdo Prince Charming, go right ahead. Maybe she's into that kind of thing." Dean flung open the drivers side door.

"Dude, it's not like that-"

"Can it, Sam. I'll be back later." The Impala sped off and Sam wandered back inside, confused and frustrated. Garth looked at him quizzically when Sam came through the door.

"Everything okay?" Sam shrugged.

"It'll be fine...been a long day." Sam filled in Garth on what they'd found when they got to the building, what Sebastian had been getting ready to do, and how he'd caught both of them. Sam paused when he got to the part where he was almost positive Ava had saved them. Garth was an intelligent man, who often didn't get enough credit, and noticed that Sam had hesitated.

"What happened, Sam?" Sam sighed. He glanced at Jack, who nodded slightly without saying anything.

"I think...I think Ava saved us." Garth looked taken aback.

"How, she was chained up...how would she..." he trailed off. His eyes filled with worry. "Sam?" Sam cleared his throat.

"Sebastian had injected her with his blood...I found the syringe, and Ava all but confirmed it. Vetalas are demons...and he was an alpha...which leads me to assume that he was using his blood to make her stronger so she could carry to term and...I think it did a little more than that." Garth's already large eyes grew wider as he looked between Sam and Jack.

"Does Dean know?" Sam shook his head.

"No...not yet. I mean, if he was paying attention at the warehouse that's the only obvious explanation, but he didn't see the syringe. I'm not even sure he really knew what happened back there. I only told Jack because I thought if she needed a transfusion then it would...water it down or something. I don't know. You know how he feels about that...he's dealt with it enough." Sam looked at Garth, the pain evident in his hazel orbs, and Garth shook his head.

"You have to tell him. You can't keep this from him, Sam." He looked to Jack. "Would it water it down, make it less powerful?" Jack leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Honestly, I don't know. I've never known anyone to have this little problem," he glanced sideways at Sam, "although it's becoming evident that I may have missed the boat. The transfusion would even it out some, but I have no way of knowing. With it shot directly into the bloodstream, I don't know that it _will_ go away. This is new territory, boys." Sam sat heavily on the couch Dean had just vacated.

"Sam, you can't deal with this alone. If she doesn't get more and she goes through what you did...it's gonna kill her if she's not in a safe place with people watching out for her. Especially with it actually being in her blood...this isn't just ingesting it. We don't know what it's going to do to her. You have to tell Dean." Sam's fist clenched and Garth took a step back.

"I know, Garth. I should have told him already. But the way he even mentions...he's already back to being done with this case. He didn't want to be here, and I forced him, and now..."

"Is there something else wrong? The Dean I know wouldn't let an innocent girl suffer or be alone, he'd help. What makes this any different?"

"There's nothing else...he just...the demon blood is enough. But you're right. We'll get her home and I'll tell him then. We need to have her somewhere she can be...contained. It's just been a long day for everyone." Garth sighed.

"I'd tell him sooner rather than later. You know what happens when you keep stuff from him. It never ends well...you gotta be honest with your brother, dude." Sam stretched out on the couch and threw an arm over his face.

"I know, Garth. I'll..I'll tell him. Wake me up when she does." He rolled over and put his back towards Garth and Jack. The two men looked at each other for a moment and Garth shrugged. There was no arguing with a Winchester.


	10. The One Where Dean Tries To Forget

****Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters do not belong to me, but any other ones are my original characters. This chapter is much longer than the rest of them, so hopefully it makes up for the shorter last chapter. lol Another disclaimer: this gets smutty. I'd say really smutty, but I'm still getting used to writing things like that so it's probably pretty tame, but it's still smutty smut so you should be aware of that. I have more things I could say, but I think I'll just let it go from here and hopefully I've captured Dean and Jo accurately. I've really been enjoying writing this, and I hope all of you following along enjoy it too.**

* * *

Dean stalked angrily around the hotel room, grabbing his stuff and shoving it into his duffel bag, unsure of who he was madder at, himself or Sam. Realistically, Sam had done nothing wrong. He had been the one to get to Ava first, he had been the one to carry her back to the basement. Dean had made the choice to drive the car, leaving Sam in the back with her. Deep down, he knew that anything that happened at this point forward was on him. Sam wanting to stay with her so she didn't wake up to two more strange people she didn't know wasn't an out of line suggestion, so why was he so angry with him? Dean threw the now overflowing duffel on the bed. "He should just know, right? He should get why this is bothering me so much," he grumbled. He plopped down on one of the beds. Why would Sam know? It's not like they talked about their feelings all that much, and despite his little drunken late night confession about him and Jo, why would this even register as being a problem? Sam had made that off-handed remark about him being uncomfortable, which wasn't untrue, and that made Dean angrier. He had no claim on Ava, and he was acting as if Sam did, which didn't make a lot of sense either. Sam was trying to be nice, and Dean could tell, was trying to make up for his past mistakes again. He had a habit of doing that, although this time something seemed different. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He began to straighten the items in his duffel to make it easier to close, when his hand landed on the flask he kept in the bottom of the bag. He looked at it for a moment, then put it to his lips and took a long, burning pull from it. He sat down again, the room mostly put back in order, and thought about the last time he saw Jo.

* * *

 _They had gathered at Bobby's to get ready for the show down with Lucifer. Sam and Bobby were going through old photos with Ellen, and she was laughing at some of the ones from when the boys were younger. Dean watched Ellen and Bobby lean in close to each other and couldn't help but smile. If things worked out, maybe the two of them could find a way to be happy together. It made sense, and Dean wondered if Sam had noticed it. He grabbed a beer and wandered outside to take in the South Dakota sky for what possibly could be the last time. Ever since that night he'd spent with Jo, he'd made it a point to look up more. He sat down on the porch step and took a sip, rolling the amber liquid around his tongue before swallowing it, savoring the coldness and the earthy taste of hops. It was amazing what impending death made you realize, and currently, it was the complicated mixture of even the cheapest beer you could get. He looked down at the bottle and began picking at the corner of the label._

 _"Got a lot on your mind, Winchester?" Dean glanced up to see Jo leaning against the porch post, watching him. A smile curled up one side of his mouth, and he shrugged._

 _"Yes and no. Mostly just thinking about how delicious this beer is." Jo took the bottle out of his hand and laughed._

 _"You're pondering the mysteries of Pabst Blue Ribbon?" His smiled widened slightly and he shrugged again._

 _"The possibility of it being your last night on earth makes you appreciate things more, sweetheart." She sat next to him on the steps, took a swig of his beer, and handed it back to Dean._

 _"Yea…but PBR?" She grinned and leaned into Dean's side. He sighed happily, her warmth soaking into his side. He put a hand on her knee and his thumb rubbed circles against the soft, worn denim._

 _"It's the little things, can't be picky." They sat silently, listening intently to the sound of the other breathing, and Dean wanted nothing more than to stay here forever. He wanted more than anything to do more than just sit on this porch, they'd barely had the chance to see each other since that night in the Impala, but when he felt her arm slide around his waist and pull him closer, he felt so at home he didn't want to ruin it. "Jo…" She rested her chin on his shoulder and looked at him._

 _"Yea?"_

 _"What happens after this?" She tilted her head._

 _"What do you mean?" Dean shifted so that he could look at her._

 _"What happens if we beat the devil? What…what do we do?" She smiled and placed a hand gently on his face._

 _"Dean Winchester, are we having a chick flick moment?" He dropped his head, his cheeks flushing. She put a finger under his chin and lifted it so that his green eyes met her brown ones. "Honestly, I don't know. If there was anything I'd want in this world, it would be to able to sit on a porch, sipping cold beer, and talking about nothing with you. But tomorrow, we go after Lucifer. Even if we make it out of that, our lives…we don't get this kind of life, Dean. I saw what it did to my mom, to your dad, to Bobby. Leaving this life, it's not an option for us. Is that what you want? This won't be a happy ending, and I think we both know it. Is it worth it?" Dean looked at her for a moment, and felt a pang when he realized that she may not feel the same way as he did. He knew that it didn't matter if this ended bloody as long as they were together, and he questioned whether he should answer her truthfully. His throat felt tight when he tried to answer and he swallowed thickly. His hand raised to hers, his calloused fingers running gently over her soft ones and he closed his eyes._

 _"Yea…it is," he replied so softly that for a moment Jo was unsure that he even responded. "We deserve more than what we have, Jo." He opened his eyes to look at her, to drink her in while he still could. "You know, I always made fun of Sam, and I was so angry with him when he left me and Dad. I didn't understand why that's what he'd want when we could be heroes, we could save the world. I…I didn't understand. Feelings weren't things we talked about, still aren't, and it took me a long time to understand why Sam did what he did. Do I think we can have a normal life? Hell no, we can't. Are we going to get out of this business and have a white picket fence, two and a half kids, and a dog? No. Is it going to end bloody? Absolutely. Those are just facts, and I've come to accept that. But…we deserve happiness even if it's brief, even if it's painful and heartbreaking in the end. And before you, I really didn't think that was even an option." He brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Do I…does this make you happy?" Jo had looked down while he was talking and now she looked up at him, tears shining in the dim light of the porch, and nodded._

 _"Yea, it does…you do. I just…I'm not sure I'm as strong as you, though. The thought of losing you…I'm not sure I can let myself do that." Dean took a deep breath and let his hand drop from Jo's. Of course Dean Winchester wasn't worth it, he should have known that before he'd brought it up to her. Out of all the people he could have bared his soul to, she was the one he'd felt safest with, and now he wished he would have just left well enough alone with a well-intentioned cuddle on the front porch._

 _"It's always been you, Jo," he said huskily as he avoided her piercing look. "The moment we walked into the Roadhouse and you jammed that shotgun into my back, I knew. That night in the Impala…God, it's when I understood how Sammy left, why he left. The thought of losing you kills me, makes me sick. When you got taken by H.H. Holmes and it was because I let you go alone…I hated myself. Even when we got you back, it took a while for me to even forgive myself for letting that happen. It's not easy for me either. I'm fucking terrified. I'm not sure how to do this…but…with you, it's different. I don't care that I don't know how, I just…I just need you." It was the closest Dean had ever gotten to actually telling someone he loved them. Admitting that he needed someone was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and he waited anxiously for what Jo had to say. He probably should have kept his mouth shut, but with the thought of what tomorrow was going to bring, it didn't seem like it mattered anyway. He was surprised when he felt Jo lean back into him, her hands on his shoulders, and kiss him lightly on the mouth. It was soft and genuine, and for a brief moment Dean forgot that he was sitting on Bobby's porch on the eve of their own apocalypse, their only family waiting inside for them. For a brief moment, it was just himself and Jo, letting themselves enjoy a glimmer of what could be. He buried his hand in her hair and breathed in her scent, a mixture of apple and cinnamon, and noticed that she tasted just like she did the first time that they had kissed, a mixture of beer and vanilla that shouldn't have gone together but somehow was perfect. Jo pulled away and Dean sighed, disappointed that it hadn't lasted longer._

 _"I love you too, Deano." She stood up slowly and pulled Dean up with her so that they were standing chest to chest and she was looking up at him. "Let's talk about this later, and just enjoy the time we have with everyone tonight. We don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. And after we beat the Devil…well…we'll have plenty of time to figure out what this is." Dean nodded, unsure of what else to say. Jo seemed to sense he was uncertain of what to do, so she popped up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth, then slid in close to his ear. "You are worth more than you know, and deserve more love than anyone could ever give you, Dean Winchester. When Cas says that you're the righteous man and the one that can save the world…I knew that before you were raised from perdition. I love you, Dean." She walked into the house and left Dean on the porch, looking after her as the screen door swung shut. After waiting a moment as to not arouse suspicion from the rest of the group, Dean wandered back inside and sat down next to Sam. After a moment of talking, he glanced up and saw Jo leave the room, and after winking at Sam, moved into the kitchen. Sam watched as Dean wiggled his eyebrows at Jo as they both grabbed another beer, and the impish grin he gave her as he undoubtedly tried to hit on her. Sam was surprised when Jo leaned as if to reciprocate, but had to stifle a laugh when she got just within kissing distance then abruptly walked away, purposely swaying her hips back and forth as Dean watched after her. The older Winchester looked at the younger one, gave him a sheepish grin and shrugged, and came back over to go through more pictures with their group. The rest of the night passed without incident, and although Dean and Jo kept stealing glances and smiling, it seemed that no one else had noticed their little moment together on the porch, and Dean was glad._

* * *

Dean woke up a couple hours later, somewhat rested and slightly less irritated, and stretched. He grabbed his phone and saw a text from Garth.

 _Hey! Ava is still out, and Sam is currently passed out on the couch here. We'll keep an eye on both of them, I didn't have the heart to wake up Sam. Head back whenever, Doc is closing up shop today, so no one will disturb us. See you soon. -G_

Dean shoved his phone into his pocket, gathered up his and Sam's stuff, and loaded up the Impala. He glanced at his watch. 4:30 a.m. He remembered seeing an all night diner on the way back to the doctors office, so he headed that direction. The bright neon lights were like a beacon in the night, and Dean slowly pulled into the almost empty lot, glad to have a little more alone time before having to deal with the mess that was waiting for him. The door jingled as he pushed it open, and a pretty redhead looked up from counting the register as he sauntered up to the counter and sat down.

"Hey darlin', I'll be right with you." She smiled and Dean couldn't help but smile back. He glanced around the diner and saw he was the only one actually in the seating area. The redhead came back around and leaned forward against the counter, her breasts straining at the small buttons that ran down the front. "Sorry about that, we're a little short handed today, I've been doing a little bit of everything. Whatcha want, honey?" Dean grinned.

"Well," he glanced down at her name tag and then quickly locked his eyes with hers, "Audrey, it depends on what's on the menu." She chuckled and slid a laminated sheet across the counter at him.

"Here ya go, handsome. We've got all sorts of things, there might even be something off the menu you can try out." She winked and pushed passed the swinging doors, disappearing into the kitchen. Dean whistled quietly to himself and started perusing the menu. He was still looking when she came back through and sat a freshly baked pie in the glass container on the counter. Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Pie any good here?"

"Aw, honey, of course it is, I made it myself. Pecan, apple, cherry. Personally, I like the apple the best, but they're all good. Best pie in the tri-county area. I'd say tri-state, but that's just being a little full of myself, isn't it?" Dean chuckled.

"I guess so. Well then, I'll have the bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon, fries, and a slice of that apple pie."

"Comin' right up." Audrey went back into the kitchen and Dean stared at her ass as she went. She must have noticed because she seemed to put a little extra swing in her step.

"Could bounce a quarter off that thing," Dean mumbled to himself.

"What was that, sugar?" she asked, her head popping up into the serving window.

"Oh, nothing, just uh...just thinking out loud." She smirked then disappeared back behind the window. Dean pulled out his phone, and after checking to see if he'd gotten any more text messages, started scrolling through pictures to pass the time. He wasn't the type to take a lot of pictures with it, so there weren't many, but he stopped as he got to one of the older ones. It was a picture of him sitting with Jo, Sam just slightly in the frame. He didn't remember taking it and realized someone must have grabbed it when he wasn't looking and snapped a picture. It looked like they were at the Roadhouse. His chest tightened when he realized that Ellen must have done it. He swiped to the next one. This time his arm was slung around Jo's shoulder and Sam was leaning into the frame. All three were laughing, the laugh until you cry type that doubles you over. He remembered the day although he couldn't remember what it was they'd been laughing at. It had been a fairly easy hunt and they'd decided to swing by the Roadhouse to check in. They'd ended up staying the whole weekend, and a majority of it had been spent like this, laughing wildly at jokes long forgotten now, carefree at least for those three days. They had been so young then, the destruction Dean's trip to hell had wrought far from being a reality, the demon blood addiction that had changed Sam so drastically still just a small blip on their radar. They had been happy, as happy as hunters could be. Then again, they'd also thought they were invincible, and had far fewer things to worry about.

"Here ya go, darlin'," Audrey drawled as she sat the plate in front of him, along with an ice water.

"Huh?" She nodded down at the plate.

"Soup's on, better not let it get too cold." He glanced down and cleared his throat.

"Yea, right, looks delicious." He jammed the phone back in his pocket. "So you cook, bake the pies, run the register...what else do you do?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Depends." She crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter. Dean couldn't help but notice how her breasts pushed up from the pressure of her crossed arms and he wondered just how much her bra could take before it finally gave way. For a brief moment he felt guilty, especially since he'd essentially just confessed his secret love for Jo to Sam, but the recent discovery of the photos on his phone made it even more important for him to forget. He was tired of remembering, and as he took a bite of his burger (and damn if it wasn't the best bacon cheeseburger he'd ever tasted, he couldn't wait for the pie), he wondered what it would be like to forget some things between those beautiful, long legs.

"Depends on what?" She smiled, her green eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Well, it depends on who's workin', what all we have to do for the day, and what all customers come in here lookin' to distract me." Dean grinned.

"Get a lot of those in here?" She shrugged.

"We get a lot of 'em that try, but far less that actually succeed." Dean took another bite of the burger, closed his eyes, and moaned.

"This is by far the best damn burger I've ever had. Marry me, woman." She laughed.

"It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than a little compliment to get me to marry you, sweetheart. But I do thank you for the flattery." Dean wiped a napkin across his mouth, suddenly conscious of how messily he was eating.

"Where are you from? That accent isn't from around here."

"West "By God" Virginia, the southern end to be more precise. Down close to where Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia all meet on the Ohio. Not quite coal country, but close enough for those not good with geography."

"No wonder you cook so well. The closest I've been to there is Ohio, my job takes me all over. Maybe I'll get to see it sometime."

"You ain't wrong. You can take the girl out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the girl. My mother taught me a lot more than just prayers and manners. Honestly, it's not something that gets passed down too much anymore, but I was lucky and she taught me everything she knew about cooking. Of course I do my own thing, you can't always follow the rules, but I gotta give credit where credit is due. I think you'd like it there. Mountains and beautiful rivers, all sorts of stuff. Especially in the fall. If you ever get a chance to go, there ain't nothin' like being in the mountains when the leaves are changin'." Dean had finished his burger and fries while she was talking, and without pausing, she began cutting a larger than normal piece for him. "Now, I hope you're ready for this because if you thought that burger was good, you're gonna lose your shit when you get a bite of this." She slid the pie over to him and handed him a fork. He laughed.

"Did your mom also teach you that vocabulary?" She came around the counter and jumped up to sit on it, her legs crossed. Dean had noticed how well she was made before, but now that there wasn't a counter half blocking her, he was even more impressed. Her worn out jeans clung to her perfectly. She was curvy, more so than he had initially realized, and he found himself thinking how nice it would be to be able to feel her against him, soft and pliable.

"My mama taught me that I can be who I want without being apologetic, and if you think my mouth is bad, you should've heard her yellin' at my daddy whenever he was in the doghouse. She could take the paint off the wall. Didn't stop her from gettin' after us when we'd slip and say something in front of her, but it was usually half-hearted because she knew she had no right to judge us. Now why don't you quit talkin' and try out that pie."

"Yes, ma'am." He cut a piece off with his fork and slowly slid it in his mouth. "Oh my God," he moaned around it, swirling the cinnamon apple goodness around with his tongue, trying to hit every taste bud he could before finally swallowing it. "You're going to have to marry me. I think I just had some sort of religious experience. I might need to have a moment alone with this pie." Audrey leaned back and laughed, a full and genuine laugh that in turn made Dean start laughing.

"Honey, I don't think those two things normally go together. I know they made it pretty popular with that American Pie movie, but I'm not so sure that's something you should be trying out. At least, not with a pie." Their laughter trailed off and they looked at each other for a moment, sizing each other up to see who would make the first move. Dean moved first and jumped up, shoving her thighs apart and sliding in between them. He buried his hands in her hair and he moved his lips against hers hungrily, seeking entrance as his tongue traced along her bottom lip. She nipped at him and he groaned as she grazed the line of biting too hard as she pulled his lip slightly between her teeth. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him in tighter, her hands roaming across his worn flannel, exploring his muscles through the thick fabric. Audrey was the first to pull back, her heart racing and her breathing heavy. "Good lord, that's quite a thank you for a slice of pie." Dean pushed her hair behind her ear and smirked.

"I can think of an even better way to thank you, if you're up for it." Audrey slipped down off the counter, walked to the front door, and turned the lock. She flipped the open sign over to closed and turned off the outside sign. Dean tilted his head in confusion. "Isn't this an all night diner? I don't want you getting in trouble." She walked back up to him and kissed him, and her hand slipped down to palm him through his jeans. He gasped and locked eyes with her.

"Well, darlin', when you own the place, you can do any damn thing you please. Now are you goin' to follow me into the back or are you gonna stand there lookin' like a deer caught in headlights?" Dean practically growled as he picked her up and she squealed, laughing as he stormed into the back of the store. "Go to the right, my office is back there. We aren't defiling my kitchen, I just cleaned in here." When he got to the office, he held her up with one arm and slammed the door shut with the other. He slammed Audrey up against the door and held her there, trailing kisses along her jaw down to her collar bone. She moaned as he found her nipple through the thin fabric of her shirt. Dean growled again, frustrated by how much the tight shirt was confining his movements, and he ripped it off of her with one hand. Buttons scattered across the floor and she let out a low whine. "Mmm...you know, that was...that was my favorite shirt..."

"I'll buy you a new one." He pulled her bra down and freed her perfect, creamy breast, and immediately began swirling his tongue around the stiff bud.

"Oh my God..."

"Dean, the name's Dean," he mumbled against her flushed skin. She moaned again as he switched his mouth to the other side, and used his free hand to trace around the nipple he just left. She squealed when he suddenly pinched it, and she felt him grin. Dean usually took his time, but he was desperate for something else, something to take his mind off of everything that had happened and been said the past two days. Still holding her up with one arm, he reached between them and unbuttoned her jeans with a flick of his wrist.

"You're awful good at that," she breathed heavily in his ear.

"Sweetheart, I'm awful good at more than just that. You might make the best pie in the tricounty area, but this is my area of expertise." He unhooked her legs from around his waist so that he could set her on the floor and yank her jeans and panties off in one quick movement. Instead of moving back up, he stayed kneeled down and looked up at her. "I hope you're ready for this because you're the one that's about to lose your shit." He swiped a finger through her slick folds and moaned. She was already dripping. He heard her breathe in sharply as he began to kiss softly across her thighs. Dean spread her legs further apart to allow him easier access, then lifted one of her legs up and draped it over his shoulder. He was trying to hold back, but her neatly trimmed pussy was glistening in the dim light of the moonlight coming in through the cracks of the window blind, and he couldn't control himself anymore. He licked a broad stripe up her lips, just barely pushing himself in, his tongue flat. Audrey moaned and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him further into her. He grunted, enjoying the borderline painful sensation of her yanking on his hair and started moving his tongue in and out of her wet core harder and faster.

"Fuck, Dean, that's...aaaahhh...amazing...mmmmm," Audrey was almost whispering her praise. He could feel her tightening and pulled away for a moment. She whined and tried to pull him back in, but he held his ground.

"Just let me, Audrey, I've got you." She stopped moving almost immediately, the tone of his voice arousing her even more. He slowly stroked a finger through her folds again, moving deeper and deeper with each swipe, and finally slipped inside of her. She gasped and began rolling her hips against his hand, but she soon felt his free hand grab her hip and still her. His fingers dimpled her flesh as he gripped her tightly in an effort to keep control of her and Audrey realized that she'd been holding her breath. She knew from the desperate way he was gripping her that she'd have bruises from the large hand currently spanned across her hip, but she didn't care. Dean crooked his finger and hit that sweet spot and she cried out, wanting nothing more than to rock harder into it. She felt a second finger slip inside and he began scissoring them as he thrust, slow at first, then slowly building building up to an almost furious pace. Suddenly she felt him start to slip a third finger in and she gasped.

"Oh...oh God, Dean, I don't...fuck..." he smiled up at her, her wetness shining on his chin and smiled.

"Sweetheart, you'll thank me in a minute. Trust me." He pushed the third finger in as far as he could and before she could even react, he immediately started moving his tongue across her clit in time to his thrusting fingers. Almost immediately, the build up that had been hovering just at the precipice of what felt like the worlds biggest cliff started to approach faster and she gripped his hair tightly again.

"Oh, shit...Dean, don't stop, I'm so close...fuuuuuuck..." She came hard and loud, her leg clenched hard over Dean's shoulder. He worked her through the aftershocks and slowly removed his fingers one by one. Gently, he put her foot back on the ground, picked her up, and sat her on the edge of her desk.

"I thought I'd let you have dessert first," he laughed. She looked up at him, her red hair a messy frame around her face, and Dean felt whatever guilt he'd been worrying over earlier slip away. "Didn't ruin your appetite, did I?" She yanked him forward by his belt and crashed her lips into his. It was rough, desperate, and she groaned as she tasted herself on his lips.

"No...you certainly did not, sugar." She wound her arm around his neck, gentler this time, and slowly slipped her tongue into his mouth. As if to prove that he wasn't the only one with talented fingers, she reached down with her other hand and unbuckled his belt, slowly but smoothly, without stopping the kiss. Once she got it unbuckled, her delicate fingers moved to the button on his jeans, and in a moment, she had them unbuttoned and unzipped in one fluid motion. Dean hissed through his teeth, his cock straining against the denim, but he waited to see what she would do. She slid her hand in between his jeans and his boxers and her eyes widened.

"I told you you'd thank me later," he grinned. She raised an eyebrow.

"Sure are a cocky one, ain't ya?" They looked at each other for a moment and then burst out laughing. "I clearly have a knack for well timed puns."

"What else do you have a knack for?" She shoved his jeans down his thighs and slid off the desk, at the same time turning Dean to where he was leaning against it. Dean pulled his shirt off while he watched her hook her thumbs into the elastic at his hips and pulled down. If she'd been surprised earlier, her gasp was even more genuine now as she realized just how large he actually was. She slid down his things and ended up on her knees in between them. She licked her lips and looked at him hungrily, and Dean could tell she was deciding on how to approach what was in front of her. She slowly slid her mouth onto the tip of him, and his breath stuttered as she slid further and further down. She moved up and down slowly, all the while swirling her tongue around his shaft, and stroking him with one hand while she held on to his thigh with the other. Dean swept her hair out of her face and held it back so he could watch his cock disappear in her mouth and pop back out with every bounce. She dropped suddenly and Dean's held fell back as he felt himself hit the back of her throat. "Oh my God, Audrey..." she groaned and it took everything he had to keep his legs under him as it vibrated through him. She looked up and watched how he strained to hold himself up, the muscles and veins in his bulging. His hand was still wrapped in her hair and she felt his grip tighten as she moved faster. After a few moments, she felt him pull her away. "You're gonna kill me, woman." He pulled her up and kissed her hard again, his hand wandering back down to her slit. She moaned as he plunged two fingers into her and thrust her hips in time with his hand. Instead of stopping her this time, he added a third finger and she whimpered as they stretched her. The office was small, there wasn't much room for them to maneuver, so Dean picked her up again and held her against the wall. She hooked her legs around his waist and he slowly lined up with her entrance. "Do you have-"

"Don't worry about it, darlin'," she sighed into him. He gently pushed into her, slower than they'd been moving, and stopped when he got the first couple inches inside. He stopped so she could adjust to him and she started wriggling her hips, trying to get him to move.

"Sweetheart, gotta take it slow. I don't want to hurt you." She leaned forward and bit his earlobe, then whispered huskily.

"But I want you to." Dean's self control snapped and he slammed into her. She was so wet that although it was tight, he moved into her smoothly. She cried out loudly, and bit hard into his shoulder to try to stifle her screams.

"Go on, sweetheart, let me hear you. Don't be shy." He slammed into her, slow but hard, pulling almost all the way out before burying himself all the way back in, his pubic bone rubbing against her clit and sending sparks all the way up through her.

"Dean...fuck...you feel so good," she panted. He grabbed her wrists in one large hand and held them above her head against the wall.

"You too, sweetheart...so good. You're so wet for me." He swung around with her, and she whined when he pulled out of her and stood her in front of him. He spun her around and roughly bent her over, her hands slamming loudly on the desk. He shoved her legs apart with his knee and grinned when he saw her grip the edges of the desk so hard her knuckles were white. He lined up with her again and slammed into her in one swift movement, the desk groaning at the sudden extra weight. She screamed, not even trying to keep quiet, and pushed back against him.

"Please Dean, I need...I need it so bad..." He pulled back, just leaving his head barely in her entrance and then slammed it home again. The desk scooted across the floor and he gripped her hips tighter to keep his balance. He pulled back a third time and she cried out again as he roughly slammed back into her. "Oohhh...go faster..." Dean couldn't answer with anything but a grunt. He started pounding into her, and for a moment the only sounds in the room were their heavy breathing mixed with moans and curses, their names spilling over each other's lips as they praised and begged each other. Dean, feeling daring since she had been so intent on getting it rough anyway, grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back towards him. "Mmmm...fuck yes..." he leaned forward and groaned lightly into her ear.

"You like getting your hair pulled, Audrey? Like it when I dig my hand in that beautiful mane of yours and pull?" She nodded, her eyes closed, and he yanked harder. "Look at me. You like that?" Her dark, lustblown eyes locked with his, and she smiled.

"Yea, sugar, I do." He leaned back, still holding onto her hair. His free hand ran down her spine, tracing the tattoo the was at the base of it, and then ran it over her smooth cheek. He tightened his grip on her ass, pondering whether he should do what he was thinking, when he heard a desperate whisper. "Do it."

"What?" She looked back at him over his shoulder and Dean thought he'd come right then just by the way she was looking at him.

"Do it." He pulled back his hand and slapped her hard across one of her soft cheeks. She cried out and thrust hard into him, slamming herself back on his cock. "Again, Dean...please, do it again." He slapped her again, her ass already a bright pink. She was practically impaling herself on his cock, moving back and forth as hard as she could. Dean switched sides and slapped her again. She was taking breaths in large, hitching gasps, her moans loud and full. Dean could feel her beginning tighten around him as he slammed into her over and over. He reached around her and started rubbing circles on her clit. His thrusts were becoming erratic and it was taking everything to not come before her.

"Come for me again, I wanna feel you come on my cock, sweetheart." She whimpered, her head lowered to the desk.

"Don't stop...I'm so close..." The hand on her clit moved faster and Dean felt her tense up. "Ohhhh!" She slammed a fist against the desk and screamed out, and Dean tried to ride it out but it was too much. He came immediately after her with a grunt, and they stayed where they were for a moment in a sweaty, satisfied heap. He slipped out of her with a grimace, already missing what she felt like on him, and he turned her around. She smiled sleepily at him. "Hey." He smiled back.

"Hey." She leaned up and kissed him.

"I think you made the list of customers who managed to distract me." Dean laughed.

"I hope I'm near the top of the list." She nodded.

"Most definitely you are." They began gathering up their clothes and getting dressed and she stopped, laughing at her shirt. It was destroyed.

"Oh, Audrey, I'm sorry. Do you have anything else to wear?" She glanced around the office and laughed.

"Well, normally I would, since I practically live here anyway, but I just cleaned the office too. It's alright, I'll just wing this and go home to change." Dean shook his head.

"Nah, I've got something in my car that'll probably fit you. Hold on, I'll be right back." While Dean was gone, Audrey looked around the room. It looked like a twister had come through. Her desk was shoved all the way up against the wall, papers strewn all over. She started laughing, and decided she'd deal with it later. Dean came in and handed her a t-shirt. "Hope that works. It's uh, it's a Kansas t-shirt." She grinned in approval.

"I'm alright with that." She slipped it on, and tied one side of it up to keep it from hanging too long. A thin stripe of skin between the shirt and the waistband of her jeans was showing, and Dean thought that he was probably a very lucky man to have gotten to see beyond that little stripe. "Where are you you after this?"

"I gotta go pick up my brother, we just finished up a job, and then we're heading home. I was actually on the way there when I stopped here. I should...I should probably get moving." She smiled sadly.

"I figured so. How long is your drive?"

"Oh, to get to him, maybe fifteen minutes, he's over at the vet..." he trailed off when he realized what he was getting ready to say, and why would they be at the vet clinic this early in the morning? He inwardly cursed, but she just grinned at him.

"Over at Jack's, huh? I wondered, when you said job. Something told me you were a hunter, but I've been wrong before. Kinda glad to see I wasn't this time. Before you leave, let me cook you boys up some stuff for your travels, and a little something for Jack too. The man works too much." She winked and left Dean gaping at her back as she sauntered back into the kitchen. By the time he got in there, she'd whipped her long hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and was practically dancing around the kitchen. "What's your brother like, hon?"

"Well, he's the size of a moose and likes to give people bitch faces constantly, which can be entertaining when it's not aimed at you-" Her laughter interrupted him.

"Nah, food, you goof. What kind of food does he like?" Dean grinned.

"Oh. Rabbit food mostly, but he'll eat burgers and stuff. I think after the past couple of days, he'd eat about anything." He sat down at the counter to finish eating his pie. "Ya know, I'm not a smoker, I've never understood people smoking after sex, but damn if I wouldn't want to eat a piece of this pie right after. Mmmmmmm." Audrey smiled at him through the food window.

"That's not the first time I've heard that. Maybe I should get a corner on that market, huh?" She disappeared for a moment and Dean sat in awe. This was a weird night. "Anyone else at that little soirée of yours?"

"Yea, my buddy Garth is there too."

"Garth? I haven't seen that little man in ages. Tell him to get his ass in here sometime. At least let a girl know he's alive. You hunters, it's like you forget how to use phones." She popped back up into the window and stared at him a moment.

"What?" She shook her head.

"Nothin', just lookin' at you." She blushed slightly then dropped back away from the window. She reappeared through the kitchen door and sat a large bag of food and a full apple pie on the counter. "Here ya go, handsome. On the house." Dean started to protest and she held a hand up. "Now listen, don't go off all self righteous on me. I'm a grown ass woman that owns her own business, a successful one at that, and the least I can do is feed the men that keep this place safe. Take the food and don't question it." She fell silent a moment, then looked back at him, a sad look in her eye. "You're a Winchester, aren't you?" Dean's eyes widened.

"How did you know that?" She shrugged.

"You boys are as close to celebrities the huntin' world's got, you should know that by now. I didn't connect it earlier, but knowing you're a hunter and that your brother is the size of a moose...it's not that hard to put together." She chuckled. "It's nice to put a face with a name. And..." she glanced down." Dean couldn't help but laugh with her. They fell silent again. It felt nice knowing that she probably didn't expect much from him, she wouldn't be waiting around on a phone call or him to show back up, but it also felt a little sad. "Did it help?" Dean raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"What we did...did it help you forget for awhile at least?" He sighed. "I know your lives are rough, but what I felt coming off you...that was something else. You're not the only one that needs help forgetting sometimes. So, Dean Winchester, I hope that it helped ya at least a little bit." He smiled at her.

"Yea...it did help. But don't think I'm not going to remember that. You're something else, Audrey." She propped a hand on her hip and grinned.

"Most southern girls are, my dear." Dean stood up and pulled Audrey into his arms.

"Thank you," he whispered, suddenly feeling tears welling up. He hadn't realized how much he just needed someone that didn't know to talk to him.

"Any time, sweetheart. Now go on, get outta here. Feed the boys and get home safe. The world needs ya. Come visit if you're ever back this way."

"Will do. And keep the shirt, it looks better on you anyway. See ya later, Audrey." Dean strolled out of the diner feeling a little lighter, and Audrey watched as the tail lights faded in the distance, and wondered if she'd ever see Dean Winchester again.


	11. The One Where Dean Learns The Truth

Sam woke to the sound of a door slamming and Dean telling Garth that dinner was served. He rolled over slowly, stretching his long body as he turned.

"Mornin', sunshine," Dean said, much cheerier than he had been when he left earlier. He tossed a bag of food at Sam as he sat up, and dropped onto the sofa next to him.

Garth was excitedly digging through the bag, "You went to Audrey's! Please tell me…" He pulled out the apple pie and closed his eyes, a smile on his face.

"I did. And it would be in your best interest to back away from that pie."

Garth frowned, "But Dean-"

Dean glared at Garth, "Nope. She said to give you the rest of the food, she never once mentioned the pie. Walk away, man." Garth sighed, then reluctantly put it back in the bag.

Sam drug a hand across his face, "How long was I out?"

Dean shrugged, "A couple of hours, maybe. Ava is still asleep, but once you finish eating we should go."

Sam unwrapped the burger and moaned contentedly despite his usual affinity for healthier foods, "Wow, this is really good."

Dean grinned, "Ain't the only delicious thing at that diner." Sam raised an eyebrow and Garth's mouth dropped open.

"You don't mean you and Audrey-"

Dean glared at Garth again, "I meant the pie, pervert."

Sam looked up at Dean incredulously as he finished his burger, "Sure you did. Ready to go?" Garth stared at Sam over Dean's shoulder, willing him to tell his brother what he knew.

Dean looked at Sam, his eyebrows raised, "Since when do you eat that fast? You in a hurry to get out of here?"

Sam cleared his throat, "No, no, I just thought it would be nice to be home." Garth continued to stare at him, his eyes slowly narrowing. Sam sighed, "Actually Dean...uhm...I need to talk to you about something...alone." Sam stood and walked towards the front door and Dean followed closely behind.

He grabbed Garth's arm as he passed by, "If you even think about touching that pie, even just think that smelling it would be okay, so help me God I will end you. Am I clear?" Garth swallowed thickly and nodded. Dean grinned, "Great." He found Sam leaning against the Impala when he made it outside, and crossed his arms. "What is it, sasquatch? You're acting weirder than normal."

Sam sighed, "I have to tell you something, and you have to promise me you won't overreact or get pissed, okay?" 

Dean's eyes narrowed, "Any conversation that starts that way is going to suck ass, Sammy. Just get to it."

Sam nodded, "Okay, so...do you know how we got out of there tonight? Do you realize what happened that allowed you to kill Sebastian?

Dean shrugged, "I mean...I saw something. I just assumed it was you."

Sam scoffed, "Dude, it's been years. I can't still do any of that crap, you know that."

"Then how in the hell did we….how did his arm…" Dean thought back to the basement, to the moment that Sebastian's arm had been snapped backwards, and his leg. Sam hadn't done it, he sure as hell didn't do it, which only left one person that could have. "Ava? How? There's no damn way, Sam. She's just a girl." Sam had dropped his eyes and was looking at the ground nervously. "Sam!"

Sam ran a hand through his hair nervously, "She...she has demon blood."

Dean crossed his arms and took a deep breath, "Excuse me?"

Sam sighed, "We were right about what he wanted to do...we just didn't take into account how he was going to do it. When we were leaving the basement...I found syringes. Ava confirmed it. Dean, he was injecting her with his blood."

Dean glared at him for a moment, anger radiating from him, "And you just decided it wasn't something I needed to know about? What the hell, Sam? That's pretty fucking need to know."

Sam put his hands up as if to defend himself, "Dean, I just wanted to make sure first. As much blood as she lost, I figured she'd have to get a transfusion, and I wanted to see what Jack had to say. I thought it might even it out. I was going to tell you when we got home-"

"When we got home?! You were going to wait until we were at the bunker, the one place that we can be safe, to tell me that the girl we rescued is pumped full of demon blood? That was your plan? What the hell is wrong with you, Sammy?"

Sam gestured angrily at Dean, "This is exactly why I was holding off on telling you! It's not her fault, Dean, she's not a monster. Someone did this to her, she didn't have a choice. I knew you were going to react this way because it's never gray with you, it's black and white. I'm not going to just leave her to deal with this alone. You...you don't know what it's like to have something like that inside of you. How it feels when your body craves something you would rather die than do. It makes you hate yourself. It is one of the single most painful things I have ever experienced, Dean, and I can't imagine what it's going to be like for her."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Seriously? Because from what I recall, you willingly went with Ruby. You drank that blood on your own, man. You did that. And don't give me that 'I thought it was for a good cause' bullshit. You still did it, and you put that on yourself."

"This is not about me," Sam growled, "it's about her. I may have had a choice, but she didn't. She's not had a choice since she was five years old. Hell, Dean, she doesn't even remember a good portion of her life, and that wasn't a choice she had either. Jesus Christ, she's an innocent girl, and it's like you just want to abandon her because she's...she's tainted." Sam was fighting to keep it together, he could feel the flush on his face and his hands were clenched at his sides.

"I never said that, Sam, I never…" Dean sighed as he realized that Sam wasn't just talking about Ava anymore, "She's not tainted. It's just dangerous, you know that. You of all people should know that. This is about you keeping something from me, something that could potentially be harmful whether she means it or not. I'm not abandoning anyone. What kind of person do you think I am, man?"

Sam opened his mouth to respond, but Garth popped his head out of the front door.

"She's awake, guys...is now a bad time?"

Both brothers turned to glare at him, but Sam shook his head, "No, it's fine, Garth. The conversation was over, anyway." He strode off, his long legs quickly carrying him through the front door as he shoved past Garth.

Garth looked at Dean, concerned, "Are ya'll alright? Did he...did he tell you?"

Dean looked at Garth with raised eyebrows, "Sam told you? He told you about Ava?" Garth nodded slowly, suddenly aware that he was in the midst of a Winchester fight, and it was not a place he wanted to be. "Of course he fucking did, because why not?" Dean shoved past him as well, and Garth watched as the brothers disappeared into the hidden room.

* * *

Sam slowly approached the bed and tried not to let his face betray him as he got a better look at Ava's injuries. It seemed like there wasn't an inch on her that wasn't cut, scraped, or bruised. Jack had found some pants for her, but she was still wearing Sam's flannel and, if possible, it made her look even smaller and more vulnerable. Sam stopped at the head of the bed and gently rested his hand on hers.

"Hey, Ava."

She smiled, far brighter than Sam or Dean would have expected, "Hey, Sam." Dean stopped at the foot of the bed, unsure if he should get any closer. She smiled at him, "Hey...I remember you from the basement. Sam's brother?"

Dean nodded, "Yea. Name's Dean."

She reached out with her free hand, "Nice to meet you, Dean."

He cleared his throat and held back for a moment, then forced himself to move the ten steps between himself and her outstretched hand, "Nice to meet you too, Ava."

She looked back at Sam, "So...what now?"

Sam squeezed her hand gently, "We are taking you home with us. If you want, you can make a list of things you might need...our friend Garth volunteered to pick some stuff up for you and drop it off. Our place is pretty big, so you'd have your own room and everything...that is if you want to come with us. It's totally up to you."

She looked down for a moment as if thinking, then looked back up at Sam with tears in her eyes and nodded, "I don't, uhm...I don't really have any family. Ben was really it, and I don't know…" her voice cracked and she stopped for a moment. Sam's heart ached as he watched her struggle to keep it together. "I don't know...it's just, I don't think I can go back to that apartment. If it's too much trouble, I can figure it out. I'm...I'm pretty good at making things work."

Sam glanced quickly at Dean and shook his head, "No, it's fine, you can come with us. It's not any trouble at all, right Dean?"

Dean nodded, "Yea, sure, it's no problem. If you're ready to go, we should probably get moving. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us." He turned and quickly left the room, and Ava looked back up at Sam.

"Is it really okay? Your brother doesn't seem too happy…"

Sam gave her a reassuring smile, "Oh, no, he's fine. He's uhm...he's just really tired. He'll be more friendly once he gets some sleep."

Ava swung her legs over the side of the bed and held onto Sam's arm, "Well, I guess we shouldn't keep him waiting, huh?" She gingerly hopped off the bed, and though she was leaning heavily against Sam, walked from the back room on her own. Jack looked up and his eyes widened in surprise to see the broken girl walking almost normally. "I'm sorry, I don't recall either of your names," she said to Jack and Garth as she held her hand out.

Jack jumped up from behind his desk and gently took her hand and smiled, "It's Jack, sweetheart. It's nice to meet you." She nodded and smiled, then turned her attention to Garth, who looked like he wanted to throw his arms around her. Sam was proud of Garth's self-control when all he did was shake Ava's hand.

"Thank you so much, I can never repay you for what you've done for me. I hope this isn't the last time I see you fellas." Both men smiled at Ava, amazed at the strength in the woman in front of them. "Come on, Sam. Let's go home."

As Dean watched the scene unfolding in the clinic from outside, he couldn't help but think that they were going to be in trouble now that Ava was around...especially him.


	12. The One Where Dean Gets Jealous

The ride back to the bunker was uneventful. Sam had sat in the back with Ava again, but she had fallen asleep as soon as they had gotten settled in. Dean looked in the rearview occasionally and felt a twinge of jealousy at how she was carefully curled into Sam's side. Sam didn't seem to be paying much attention and was instead looking out the window as the sun began to rise. It only made Dean more frustrated. Even after his incredible time with Audrey, which had at least helped him with thoughts about Jo, Ava kept popping into his mind. Especially seeing her walk to the car on her own… By all accounts, they should have had to carry her. Hell, they should have been burning her body. But there she was, looking so small and battered, a fearless smile on her face as Sam said something to her on the walk to the car.

He could probably attribute it to the demon blood running through her veins, but part of him thought that was just a small percentage of what kept her going. She was strong, stronger than he had given her credit for even after he heard about what she'd been through before being kidnapped by Sebastian. As he looked in the rearview mirror at her for what seemed like the hundredth time, he worried over how flushed she was and the way the sweat was still pouring off of her. They had no way of knowing what the long term effects of this were going to be, and he wondered if there was any way to actually cure her.

"Cas, if you've got your ears on...we could use your help, buddy. Just...please, man," he thought to himself. Nothing but silence answered him. "Of course not. Should have known." He drove the rest of the way in silence and hoped that the Men of Letters might have something in their archives to help them.

* * *

Ava looked at the looming building in front of her with just a hint of distrust despite who she was with. It looked old and dirty, not unlike the building she had just spent a week in, and she paused as Dean pulled the car into the garage and Sam unlocked the rusty door to let them in.

Sam looked back at her, his brow furrowed, "Are you okay, Ava?"

She let her eyes drop from the foreboding facade to Sam and attempted to smile, "Yea, I'm fine. It's just...I wasn't expecting it to look like this. It just threw me off guard a little."

Sam took a step back and looked at the bunker in confusion, then realized what she was seeing, "Oh shit, Ava, I'm sorry! I didn't even...it looks like...shit."

Ava quickly put a hand on Sam's arm and smiled again, this time more genuine, "It's okay, Sam. Let's go inside." He nodded, then pushed the door the rest of the way open. Ava's eyes widened at the large room in front of her. The outside may have looked old and abandoned, but the inside was anything but. The stairs swept down into a large room with a huge table, the kind that Ava had seen in war movies; a map painted on its surface and lit from beneath, with little pieces you could move around to represent troop movements. It looked fairly old, and she wondered why they'd have something like that in their home. In fact, the whole place reminded her of a museum.

Sam smiled at the look of awe on her face, "That's pretty much how we felt when we first found this place. Pretty amazing, huh?"

Ava nodded slowly, "How did you find it?"

Sam laughed, "Long story, but I'll tell you later. I'm sure you're tired, why don't I show you to your room?" They slowly descended the stairs, Ava holding tightly to the railing as she took in her surroundings. Sam kept a steady hand near her back in case she stumbled, but Ava managed to make it down the hall to the room Sam had thought would work best for her. It was between his room and Dean's, just in case, but far away enough from both to allow her some privacy. "You know, Ava...I'm really impressed. I can't imagine what it was like for you this whole week, and for you to be able to even be upright right now...I'm not so sure I could."

He opened the door to her room, and Ava's eyes swept her new home. It was already furnished, though the gray walls were bare and there was a thin layer of dust on the small desk in the corner. Her heart ached as she thought of the desk at her house and all the things she'd left behind. She smiled at Sam, "Thank you, it's wonderful! You really didn't have to do this...I would have been fine."

Sam shrugged, "It's not a problem. As I'm sure you can tell, we've got plenty of room." He smiled gently, "Get some rest. We'll talk more later." Sam left the room and shut the door behind him. She sat on the edge of the bed, her fever thankfully broken for the time being, and wondered what she was going to do. She couldn't go back to her house and she didn't have any of her things. She looked down at the large flannel she was wearing and sighed. She didn't even have any of her own clothes. She could feel the dried blood stiff on her skin and wished she'd asked Sam where the bathroom was. A shower would have felt amazing.

A knock interrupted her thoughts, "Come in!"

The door slowly opened and Dean poked his head in, "Hey, Ava...how's it going?"

She shrugged, "I'm...here, I guess. I think I'm still trying to process everything, you know?"

Dean nodded, "Yea, actually...I do." He walked over to the bed and handed Ava a bundle of clothes. "I figured you would like some clothes that fit a little better. Sam's basically a sasquatch." Ava smiled, and Dean cleared his throat as if he had more on his mind than just bringing her clothes. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Mind if I sit for a minute?" Ava nodded. A girl of few words; Dean could appreciate that. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his hands for a moment before turning his gaze to Ava. She couldn't help but notice how green his eyes were, or how his brow stayed furrowed as if thinking about what he wanted to say.

"I wanted to, umm…I owe you an apology."

Ava raised an eyebrow, "What in the world would you need to apologize for?"

Dean shrugged slightly and looked back at his hands, "I uhh…I wasn't very friendly towards you earlier. It's not anything against you, it's just…" He paused, and Ava tilted her head as she looked at him. He could feel her staring but couldn't turn back to her just yet, "You look very similar to someone that I used to know. It just...it threw me off. I'm sorry if I came off wrong. You're welcome to stay as long as you want."

Ava reached out and laid her hand lightly on his knee, "Is this someone...are they gone?"

Dean looked back up at her and met her gaze, her blue eyes wide and her forehead creased in concern. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded once, "Yea, she's gone." Ava didn't ask for an explanation, just gently squeezed his knee before moving her hand back to her lap. They sat in silence, both of them letting the quiet wrap comfortably around them until Dean broke the silence.

"Oh, hey, you probably need a shower don't you? I can show you where it is if you'd like to do that before you get settled in."

Ava nodded, "That would be amazing, thank you."

Dean stood and held out his arm to Ava, who hesitated for a moment, then linked one arm through his while she carried the clothes tucked against her side with the other. Although she thought she could have made it without leaning on Dean for support, she needed to feel him against her as they slowly walked down the hall. She needed to feel the warmth that reminded her that she wasn't still locked up, but that she was with someone real, someone who had saved her. If she had looked up during their walk, she would have noticed Dean stealing glances at her as he had similar thoughts of his own.

* * *

"Here it is," Dean pushed the door open to the bathroom and Ava stepped through and looked around. "It's kind of dorm style, but don't worry, we are pretty careful when we hear water running." He smiled, and Ava couldn't help but return it. It seemed Dean's smile was infectious.

"This is great, thanks." She sat her stuff down, and Dean pulled a towel off of one of the shelves and draped it over one of the racks.

"We usually keep our own towels in our rooms, keeps them from getting damp...or whatever...anyway, we can get you some. My room is just down the hall, so if you need anything, just take a right and you'll find me." Dean turned to leave and made it halfway through the door when Ava's small voice stopped him.

"Can you stay? I mean, not…just close enough so I can talk to you?"

Dean looked at her, so small and vulnerable in Sam's giant flannel as she looked at him pleadingly, and he felt his heart ache for her, "Sure thing, whatever you need. What if I just stood outside the door and left it open a crack?"

She seemed to think about it for a moment then nodded, "Thanks, Dean." He nodded at her in response, then stepped outside. As promised the door remained cracked, and the anxiety she'd felt about being left alone lessened. As she undressed and let the water heat up, she assessed the damage Sebastian had left. She gently removed her bandages and groaned at the sight of the deep gashes. Jack had done a good job of stitching her up, but she knew from previous experience it was going to scar. She took a deep breath, then moved over to a mirror and gasped. She'd known it was bad, but the vivid bruise that spread across her ribcage still caught her off guard. Both eyes were bruised and swollen, and she could see the purplish beginnings of a bruise on her jaw. She shifted her hair away from her neck and saw several angry, red track marks that stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin.

"Ava, everything okay?" Dean's concerned voice echoed from the hallway.

She blinked back tears as her fingers traced over the outline that Sebastian's hand had left around her throat, "Yes, Dean, everything's fine." A brief glimpse down confirmed that the rest of her didn't look much better, and though Jack had washed off most of the blood to get a better look at her injuries, her skin was still stained a dark crimson in some places where wounds had reopened.

She stepped gingerly into the shower and sighed in relief as the hot water washed over her. She could feel the tension melt from her muscles as the heat cascaded around her. She stood under the water and watched as it swirled red around her feet.

"Dean?"

Ava heard the dull creak of the door as he pushed it further open, "Yea?"

"How'd you guys find this place?"

"It's a long story. Short version, Sammy and I are legacies. This group called the Men of Letters...they were hunters like us. This place had been abandoned for a long time, and then we found it and settled in. We're the only ones, at least as far as we know." Dean kept talking and Ava listened to his deep voice describe what the bunker had, and if she needed anything where to find it. Her eyes slipped shut as she moved further under the hot spray, and soon Dean's voice was falling on deaf ears.

Suddenly, all Ava could see was red. A deep, blood red dripping all around her field of vision as screams resonated all around her. It took a moment for her to realize that the screams were her own as she felt a sharp pain go through both shoulders. She looked down and saw giant hooks going through her, holding her up between two huge chains that disappeared above her into nothingness. She screamed again and the metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth as her wrecked throat was pushed far past what it could take. "Please…please stop," she begged, "Where am I? Someone, please help me…" Her pleas were heard by no one, and she began to sob as she felt more hooks sink into her legs and the chains begin to pull.

"Ava?" Dean had noticed that Ava had stopped responding to him as he talked about the bunker and he stepped further into the bathroom. Silence greeted him, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "Are you okay?" Suddenly, a scream echoed through the bathroom followed by a loud crash. Dean rushed to the shower and found Ava lying half out into the floor, her body at an awkward angle. He slid to his knees next to her, "Ava!" She was shaking and her whole body seemed to be vibrating. Dean shifted her from the floor into his arms and cradled her head to keep it from hitting against the tile. "Hey, Ava, I gotcha. Come on, wake up."

She didn't respond, although to Dean's relief, the shaking finally stopped. He put a finger to her throat and let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding when he found a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. He gently laid her on the floor, then grabbed the towel he had just moments before hung up for her. He wrapped her up in it, doing his best to pull his mind away from the nakedness of her body. As soon as she was fully covered, Sam slammed through the door.

"What the hell happened, Dean? I heard a scream-" he stopped short when he saw Ava, unconscious and even more pale than before. "Dean?"

Dean put an arm around Ava's shoulders, then slid the other under her knees before gently lifting her from the floor. "I don't know, man. She wanted me to stay and talk to her while she took a shower, and she was fine… All of a sudden, she screamed and I came in here to find her convulsing on the floor. I can't get her to wake up." Dean pushed his way past Sam and turned right.

Sam followed close behind, "Where are you going?"

"To my room, it's closer. Go back to the bathroom and get the clothes laying out in there, and bring the first aid kit, too. I think she might have pulled a couple stitches." Sam grunted in response and Dean heard him make a quick retreat for the bathroom. He nudged his door open with his foot and laid Ava gently on his bed. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, but then she was motionless again.

Dean looked up at the ceiling and sent out one last plea, "Cas, if you can hear me...we really need you. Please, come home."

* * *

Ava was curled up in the dark corner of her closet clutching her favorite stuffed animal, a moose that her parents had given her shortly before they died, and waited for the footsteps that would inevitably come every night. She'd hoped that maybe if she was hidden, if she stole away into the darkness where he couldn't see her, that he would just leave. He'd go away and maybe decide that this game wasn't fun to play anymore.

She'd left her foster sister in her own bed because she didn't want to wake her, but she also didn't think he liked to play the game with her so she'd be safe. He always told Ava she was the special one, that she'd been chosen just for him, but it was very important she didn't tell anyone because then the others would be jealous, especially his wife, and they'd take her away. She didn't think being taken away would be all that bad, but she didn't know where else she'd go so she kept their secret, only whispering it to Moose when she knew they were alone.

She heard footsteps and then the bedroom door creaked open, letting a sliver of light under the closet door.

"Ava?" A deep voice whispered through the darkness, "Where are you?" The footsteps moved closer to her hiding spot and she held her breath and hoped he'd go away. "Ava, sweetheart, you know better than to hide." She could see the ends of his boots through the crack near the floor and she clutched Moose closer. She heard the handle begin to turn and she held her breath as the door slowly opened.

Ava jerked awake, her breath coming in jagged gasps that had her lungs begging for air. She sat up slowly and grimaced as every injury she had seemed to cry out at once. She felt panicked; she had no idea where she was and for a brief moment couldn't remember who the giant man sitting in the chair next to her was either. She pushed herself towards the farthest corner of the bed and gasped at the sudden pain in her side, waking up the stranger who up to that point had been fast asleep.

"Ava?" She looked at him with wide eyes as she tried to place who he was. He could tell she was on the verge of a panic attack, and he held his hands up as if to prove he wasn't going to do anything to her, "It's me, Ava, it's Sam. Remember? Sam Winchester."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly, but she still clung to the edge of the bed furthest from him, "Sam? Sam…and Dean...you saved me."

Sam nodded, "Yes, we did. And then we brought you home. Well, to our home. You're safe now." Ava looked down and realized she was wearing different clothes than she'd had on earlier.

"What happened?"

Sam shook his head, "We don't know, exactly. Dean said you were taking a shower and talking to him one minute, and then you screamed and hit the floor. You've been unconscious for a few hours now." Ava's brows knitted in concentration as she tried to remember. "Dean had to stitch up a couple places that popped loose and he redid your bandages. His clothes fit you a little better, so…"

Ava slowly turned her gaze back to Sam and fought to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over, "I...I remember. It was like...I think I was in hell. I remember listening to Dean, he was talking about the bunker, and then everything was red. There was blood everywhere, and I was hung from these...they looked like meat hooks. They were pulling me…"

The tears she'd been holding back finally broke free and she curled into herself like she was trying to hold herself together. Sam jumped up and slid onto the bed next to Ava, and she immediately leaned into his side. He wrapped his arms around her so that she could rest against his chest, and one hand moved up to card through her long hair. "It's okay, I'm here. I've got you, I won't let anything else happen to you."

He felt her hand grip tightly to his shirt, "Sam, what is happening to me?"

Sam took a deep breath, unsure of what to say, "I...I think it might be the demon blood. I've had experience with it and it's not...it's not pleasant. It makes you see things, feel things. It gets worse when your body craves it."

Ava pulled back to look at him, "What do you mean, craves it?"

Sam sighed, "Once you have demon blood in you, it's like a drug. It will eventually wear off and your body will want more. I just don't know what it's going to be like in your case. I only have experience with...uhh….drinking it." He paused to see if she had anything to say but continued when she remained silent. "Having it introduced directly to the bloodstream is a completely different issue. Jack gave you a blood transfusion, which may help, but we have no way of knowing how much Sebastian gave you. We have a friend that could maybe help, but he's been hard to get a hold of." Sam felt Ava sink against him again and felt her disappointed sigh. "We're going to fix it, Ava. We always find a way, it's what we do." Ava nodded but didn't respond except to burrow closer into his side. "What woke you up, was it what you saw earlier?"

Ava shook her head, "No…it was a different kind of hell." She closed her eyes and let Sam's breathing lull her back to sleep, and Sam wondered what they were going to do.

* * *

Dean walked into the war room and was greeted by silence. He had driven back to Wichita to meet up with Garth and then went to Ava's apartment to gather some things for her. If she was going to stay at the bunker, he wanted her to have her own things. He needed Sam to get Ava out for awhile so he and Garth could move everything in.

"Sam! Hey Sammy!" He wandered down the hall towards his room and saw that his door was cracked. Dean was pretty sure he'd closed it when he'd left, so he quietly opened it to check on Ava. Instead, he found Sam wrapped around her, his arms engulfing her to where she was barely visible as she curled around his side. Both of them were fast asleep, and Sam's cheek was resting gently on the top of her head. "The hell…" he muttered.

Sam stirred and opened his eyes sleepily, "Hey...when'd you get back?"

Dean raised an eyebrow, "Just now. Were you planning on taking her out of here for awhile or did you decide sleeping with her was a better plan?" Sam rolled his eyes and carefully slipped out from under Ava. She stretched, then rolled over and settled back into the pillows.

Sam pulled Dean out of the room and shut the door quietly behind him, "What are you talking about?"

Dean waved a hand vaguely at the door, his eyebrows raised.

"Use your words, Dean. What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. We had a plan, and you slept through your part."

Sam crossed his arms, "She had a nightmare, man. I wasn't just going to leave her alone, and you weren't here. What was I supposed to do?"

Dean shrugged, "Take her somewhere else, maybe? Since that was the plan. Now, do you mind maybe doing that? Garth is waiting in the garage and he's gotta get back to Wichita. We grabbed a lot, but I just guessed on clothes and I didn't know what to get from the bathroom. She's going to need stuff. I'll move the car around so she doesn't see us in the garage."

Dean turned to leave and Sam grabbed his arm, stopping him, "Seriously, what is wrong with you? You're being a dick."

Dean glared at Sam and jerked his arm from his brother's grasp, "I'm being a dick because I left and when I came back, my brother was in my bed with...just laying around...listen, just take her to the store, alright?" Dean stormed off grumbling to himself and left Sam standing in the hallway. Garth was sitting on one of the motorcycles and pretending he was racing it when Dean blustered his way into the garage.

"Why am I being a dick? Why's he being a dick? In MY bed? Freaking kidding me, man."

Garth quietly slid from the motorcycle and walked over to Dean, who had flung the Impala's door open and was getting ready to move the car outside so Sam could take it. "Are you okay, buddy?"

Dean glared through the open window, "Don't call me buddy, Garth. And yes, everything is freakin' fine."

Garth tilted his head and smiled gently at Dean, "Is Sam being an idjit?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "That's not how it works! You can't just say idjit…" He sighed and leaned his forehead on the steering wheel. "Sure, Garth. That's the problem."

Garth leaned against the Impala, his head ducked down so he could look in through the window, "What is the problem, exactly?"

Dean leaned back and looked at Garth. He felt an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face and sighed when he realized it wasn't Garth he actually wanted to punch. "I don't know, man. Sam was with Ava and it just...it pissed me off. I don't even know why it bothers me so much. I have no right, neither one of us have any right, to this girl. She just looked so peaceful, you know? I want to be the one that makes her feel that way." He shook his head, "Why the hell am I telling you this? Get off my car, I have to move it outside."

Garth took a step back and watched as Dean pulled the car outside and smiled grimly. These boys were in trouble, of that he had no doubt. It was only a matter of time before they found out just how much trouble it would turn out to be.


	13. The One Where Ava Is Surprised

Ava stared out the Impala's window, watching the scenery as it flew by. Although she had taken a nap, probably the best sleep she'd had in a long time, she was still struggling to keep her eyes open, and the low growl of the Impala's engine was doing its best to lull her to sleep.

Sam glanced over and smiled, "Still tired, huh?"

Ava smiled back halfheartedly, "Yea. I guess having nightmare visions from hell really takes it out of a person." She sat up straighter and turned to face Sam. He could feel her looking at him but waited to see if she would say what she was thinking. "Hey, Sam?"

He kept his eyes on the road but nodded in acknowledgement, "Yea?"

Ava chewed nervously at her bottom lip, "You mentioned you'd had experience with demon blood…except you'd drank it." Sam nodded, but remained silent. "What…how did that happen?" Sam sighed, unsure of how to answer. Ava waved a hand as if to dismiss the thought, "Never mind, you don't have to answer that, that's really personal…"

Sam chuckled, "Nah, you're fine. Uhmm…well, it's a long story. I'm just not sure where to start."

Ava smiled, "Start from the beginning. I have all day."

Sam took a deep breath and decided that he may as well start from the beginning. "Well, when I was a baby…a demon came into my room and fed me his blood. It was…it was part of a deal my mom had made before I was born. He had plans for me, I was supposed to lead his army. The blood gave me special powers. I would get visions, if I tried really hard I could move things with my mind…and I found out later that if I drank it, it made those powers stronger. Strong enough that I could exorcise demons without even speaking." He glanced down when he felt Ava's small hand on his arm, and he suddenly found it hard to speak. He hadn't spoken to anyone about this, other than the arguments he'd had with Dean, and it was harder to talk about than he would have thought. He met her gaze and gave her a pained smile, "It's not something I talk about a lot."

Her hand slipped down and met his where it lay on the bench seat, "Then keep going."

Sam moved his eyes back to the road, "I thought I was saving the world, you know? There was this other demon, Ruby…she made me think that what I was doing was for the greater good. She made me doubt Dean. And then…Dean died."

Ava gasped, "Dean died? What happened? How is he here now?"

Sam chuckled, "There's a lot to that. Too much to go into now. But he made a deal, and his contract was up. And when your contract is up, you don't just die, you're dragged to hell. Dean died, and I was alone. I had to watch him be torn apart, and I carried him to this car, and I buried him. After that, I spent every waking moment trying to find a way to get him back. When that didn't work, I let Ruby talk me into drinking her blood so I could get stronger and stronger. I thought I was doing good. If I couldn't save Dean, maybe I could save everyone else. But it changed me, Ava, and when Dean came back he could see it. It made me so angry because I was the one that was supposed to save the world, the boy with the demon blood who could redeem himself…and I failed." He fell silent, and he felt a familiar ache in his chest when he felt Ava squeeze his hand. "The blood made me feel powerful…I was powerful…but it came at a cost. Dean and Bobby, he was kind of our…adopted dad…they locked me in the basement to 'dry me out'." Ava gasped and Sam saw the look of horror that flashed across her face. "I don't want you to think badly of Dean, he did what he thought he needed to. I don't blame him, I was in a bad place. But I know what you must be going through, and I'm sorry that you have to go through that."

Ava sighed, "Yea…me too." She stared at her hands for a moment, then returned her gaze to Sam, "How long will this last?"

Sam shrugged, "I honestly don't know, Ava. It's going to be different with your situation. We're going to have to play it by ear." He pulled the car into the lot and parked. Ava had grown quiet and had gone back to staring at her hands. He paused as reached for the door handle and looked at her, his brows knitted in concern, "Are you okay?"

Ava smiled, "As okay as I can be right now. It's just going to take time. Let's go inside." She climbed out of the car and began walking towards the store. Sam slowly followed after her, amazed at the strength that Ava continued to show.

* * *

Dean stood in the middle of Ava's room and felt a sense of pride at what he'd managed to accomplish. Although the room at the bunker was smaller than the one at Ava's house, he had managed to replicate the setup as close as he could get it. He'd mostly done it from memory, but when Garth wasn't looking he'd taken a picture just to make sure. It had occurred to him that it might not be a good idea, that Ava would see it and be freaked out over his attention to detail or it would remind her of what she'd lost, but he'd rather give it a chance than risk her losing all of her belongings. Satisfied with the final product, he made his way to the kitchen and began fixing lunch. He paused when he heard the bunker door slam and made his way to the war room, sandwich in hand.

"Hey, Sammy." He looked around in confusion, "Where's Ava?"

Sam sighed as he sat down their afternoon purchases, "Umm…well, she had another episode after we got out of the store. Luckily we were back at the car, but she took a spill. I think she went to the bathroom to get cleaned up."

Dean tossed his plate on the table and glared at Sam, "You think? You should have followed her! Did she tell you anything about it?"

Sam shook his head, "No, she just laid in the backseat until we got home and then immediately headed to the bathroom."

Dean stormed off down the hall without another word to Sam, grumbling to himself. Sam was usually better at this kind of thing, and Dean was furious that Sam had just let her wander off. He swung by the bathroom, and when he found it empty he made his way towards Ava's room. As he approached his door he noticed that it was cracked open, so he gently pushed it further and entered the darkened room. Ava was sitting on the edge of the bed, her knees bloodied and her gaze focused on her hands. "Ava…" Dean said quietly as he approached and knelt down in front of her. She looked up at him with red rimmed eyes. "Hey…what's wrong?"

She shook her head, "Nothing…I'm…I'm fine."

Dean gently took one of her hands in his and she flinched. Instead of dropping her hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze, "Sam told me what happened. Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head again, but remained silent. Dean looked at her for a moment, then returned her hand to her lap and walked over to his night stand. After rummaging for a moment, he knelt in front of her again and opened the box he had sat on the bed next to Ava. "Let's take care of those knees, huh? Don't want to get an infection." He set to work quietly, and Ava marveled at how gentle he was. Although the wounds stung, Ava welcomed it and watched as Dean carefully cleaned the dirt from them. His rough hands smoothed the bandages carefully over the scrapes, and he smiled up at her. "They looked worse than they were. You should be all set." He shifted from the floor to sit next to her on the bed. "I'm sorry today's been so rough. I have something to show you though, if you're up for it."

Ava smile and nodded, "Sure." Dean led Ava down the hall towards Ava's room and stopped in front of the closed door.

"Close your eyes."

Ava raised her eyebrows, "Why?"

Dean smiled, "Just do it. I promise it's not that big of a deal, but I'd like there to be some element of surprise." Ava held Dean's gaze a moment longer as if debating how much she trusted him, then let her eyes slip shut. Dean opened the door, then took Ava's hand and led her inside. Once he situated her in the middle of the room, he let go of her hand and took a step back. "You can open them."

Ava slowly opened her eyes and she gasped at what she saw. Her desk was exactly as she had left it at the house, all of her things were laid out perfectly, and her cork board with all her patterns and various receipts and pictures was hanging above the desk. It was as if Dean had picked everything up without disturbing a single thing and magically transported it to the bunker. Her dresser was also there, and what appeared to be most of her clothes were folded and stacked neatly on the bed. As she turned she saw that he'd also brought her bookshelf and it appeared all of her sketchbooks and favorite books were already on the shelves in almost the same places that they were before. She turned to face Dean, "How…how did you do this?"

Dean shrugged, "One of our friends helped us out…actually, the one that gave us your case. I figured if you were going to stay with us, you should feel like you were home." He dropped his eyes to the floor, suddenly aware of how intensely Ava was looking at him, and cleared his throat, "I hope that we didn't overstep our bounds or anything. We probably should have asked-"

Ava grabbed Dean's hand, interrupting him, "No, it's perfect. It's…I don't know how I could possibly thank you."

Dean returned his gaze back to hers, "You don't have to. Sam and I know what it's like to not have a place to go." She smiled and squeezed his hand, then walked over to her desk. Her hand trailed along the smooth, worn edges of the desk, and her fingers skittered across the fabrics and threads that were laid out. She closed her eyes at the familiar sensations as she tried to forget the vision she'd had this afternoon, but the images danced behind her eyelids anyway.

"You were dead," she whispered, her eyes still shut while she tightly grasped the chair in front of her.

Dean took a step forward, "What?"

Ava's head dropped, "You and Sam…you were dead in my vision. I…I don't know what happened exactly, but you were both bloody. I didn't recognize where we were, so I don't think it was here, but…something bad happened."

"We? Were you there, too?" Dean's voice was barely a whisper.

Ava turned to face Dean, and there were tears in her eyes, "Yes and no. It was like I was inside the person that did it…I could see their hands, and I could feel the blood, but I don't know who it was. It was like I was seeing from their point of view. It came in flashes, I'm sorry…I don't remember much else. But it felt like it was my fault somehow." Dean took another step forward, and Ava could feel his fingertips graze hers.

"It's not your fault. Someone did this to you, and we're going to figure out how to fix it. Sam's still here…I'm still here." Dean tucked his knuckle under Ava's chin and gently lifted it so that her eyes met his. "We aren't going to leave you." He cautiously leaned in and let his lips softly graze hers before pulling back. "I'm not going to leave you."

Ava looked at him in surprise, torn between kissing him back and moving away from him. Instead of doing either, she placed her hand on his chest and sighed at how the warmth seemed to move from him straight into her, "Dean…"

Dean cleared his throat and took a step back, "Anyway…I'm glad you like your room. I'm sure you're gonna want to get settled in, so, I'm just gonna…I'll be be in my room if you need anything." He gave her a quick smile and strode quickly out of the room, closing the door behind him. Ava looked after him for a moment and considered going after him, but then decided that he was probably not the type to appreciate that and turned back to look at everything he had done for her while she had been with Sam. Ava felt a brief moment of guilt as she thought about Dean's soft lips on hers and how right it had felt. Ben had been gone barely a week, and here she was having feelings about someone she'd just met. Ava sat heavily onto her bed and rested her head in her hands. "What is happening to me?" she whispered to herself, "What am I supposed to do?"


	14. The One Where Dean and Ava Talk

The next week went by mostly without incident except for Ava's occasional visions, although it seemed to Dean like they might be slowing down. It could have been wishful thinking, but things seemed fairly normal. Sam and Dean had both been talking to Ava about her past, carefully introducing bits and pieces to her as she began to remember more and more. Some of the memories came on their own, some because of photographs that Dean had discovered in the few belongings they had of Bobby's, and some from the dreams and nightmares that Ava seemed to have every night. Between the three of them, they were able to piece together Ava's childhood.

After her brother had died, Ava's parents were determined to prove that it had not been due to an animal attack. Despite their efforts, the locals believed their grief had made them delusional, and after a couple of weeks began to dismiss their claims. Although her parents had never caught the wendigo that had killed her brother, they'd moved on, taking Ava out of school and eventually falling in with Bobby and Pastor Jim. They had hunted until Ava was ten, leaving her with them during the more difficult hunts. Ava had begun helping her parents research shortly before their deaths, but Bobby and Pastor Jim had agreed that to protect her they would get her out of the life…no matter what. Although not entirely sure how they did it, Sam figured they'd known someone that could cast a spell of some kind to make her forget everything before reintroducing her to normal life again.

Despite the episodes that Ava was having, and the physical and mental exhaustion that came with the discovery of who her family actually was, Ava was happy. And with that happiness came a realization.

* * *

Dean was in the kitchen when Ava wandered in, her eyes immediately drawn to Dean's broad shoulders as he washed dishes. Dean looked over his shoulder as he heard her footsteps echo across the tile and gave her a smile before returning to his task.

"Hey."

Ava sat at the table and curled her legs under her, "Hey." She sat silently and watched as he picked up a dish, swirled it in the hot, soapy water, and scrubbed it with the sponge. For some reason, she was mesmerized as he rinsed the suds from it and gently placed it in the drying rack. He picked up the dishtowel and slowly wiped his hands off, then turned to face Ava.

"What's going on? Do you need anything?"

Ava shook her head, "No…I…uhh….I never really got to say thank you. You know, for my room."

Dean smiled, "You don't have to thank me for anything. Like I said, we all know what it's like to not have a place of our own…it's the least we could do."

Ava silently contemplated him for a moment as she debated her next words, then slowly stood, "Yea…but you were the one that did it…and I know it took awhile. It was perfect."

Dean leaned against the sink, his arms crossed, "I don't know about perfect, but you're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."

Ava had stopped right in front of him, and Dean couldn't help but notice the look in her eyes as they silently looked at each other. He stood up straighter, "Listen, I'm sorry about the other day, I should have never kissed you. You've been through enough already…"

Ava shook her head, "I'm not sorry that it happened."

"So…you're okay? You're sure?"

Ava nodded, but remained quiet. Dean reached up as if to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then hesitated. He wasn't sure what she wanted, what he even wanted if he were being honest with himself. But as he looked into her cerulean eyes, he decided if he didn't risk it neither of them would ever know.

He gently cupped her cheek and let his other hand rest on her hip as he pulled her closer to him. He raised his eyebrows, silently asking her permission, and she nodded, her eyes wide.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Dean's voice was low and gravelly, and Ava felt the warmth course through her at the sound.

"Yes," she said quietly, her eyes trained on his emerald ones. He leaned in and his lips gently pressed against hers, soft yet firm as they molded perfectly with Ava's. His grip on her hip tightened and she sighed against him, allowing his tongue entrance as it traced her bottom lip. Ava had draped her arms loosely over his shoulders as he pulled her closer to him, and he felt her fingers run through his short hair. Without breaking their kiss, he picked her up and spun around so that she could sit on the counter. Her legs tightened around his waist and Dean moaned into her, the feel of her this close to him like electricity hitting every nerve.

Dean finally pulled away, his breathing heavy, and leaned his forehead against hers, "That….that was incredible."

Ava smiled, "Yea, it was." She paused, her smile disappearing, "Dean…I…I don't know what's going on. I don't know what all of this means for me, or what's going to happen. Everything is so uncertain, and I feel like I should…like I should maybe feel guilty about what I'm getting ready to say, but I don't." Dean finally tucked the stray strand of hair behind her ear and nodded, encouraging her to continue. "I feel something…for you. I don't know what it is, or what it means. I just…it feels big. I can't ignore it…and I can't honestly say I want to. To be truthful, I'm scared of it."

She dropped her head and Dean crooked his finger under her chin and brought her gaze back to his eye level, "Do you trust me?" Ava nodded. "Good." He picked her up from the counter and began carrying her to his room, "Let's go somewhere more private. Not so sure the kitchen counter is the place for deep conversation."

Ava laughed quietly, "I guess not."

* * *

Ava sat on the edge of Dean's bed and looked around the room, her eyes roaming over the various weapons hanging on the walls, the neat stack of cassettes on his desk, the headphones laying on the nightstand on the side she assumed he slept on. His room was meticulous, everything in its place and orderly. He had dropped her off then raced off again as he promised to be right back.

The door eased open and Dean walked in, carefully balancing two steaming mugs as he slowly shut the door behind him, "I thought you might want some hot chocolate. This seemed like a 'warm, comforting beverage' kind of conversation." He gently sat one mug on his desk so he could shut the door then handed her the other one. Ava was thankful for its warmth as she cradled the hot ceramic between her palms.

"Thanks, it smells delicious."

Dean picked his mug up with a smile and sat beside her, the bed dipping slightly under his weight, "Yea well, it's got a little liquid courage in it, thought you might need it."

Ava took a sip and shivered happily as the burn of the whiskey slid deliciously down her throat, "You were right." She took another drink and Dean watched her as she swirled the contents around as if it was all she could focus on. "I feel guilty, and I need you to know why." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and full of worry. "I barely know you, which…well, it makes this seem even more strange. But after everything I've learned about my life, and how most of it wasn't even true…I trust you. I trust you more than I maybe should." She raised the mug to her lips again, and Dean couldn't help but notice how her lips curved around the edge of the mug and how her tongue flicked out quickly to catch the rogue drop of hot chocolate that threatened to drip down her chin.

"I loved Benjamin. He saved me from a bad situation and he made my life…fuller. He was kind and he was sweet, and he filled in the hole that not having a family left. I truly did love him…but I worry, and I've thought this for a long time, if it was because he was just…there. That sounds awful…" She paused and ran her finger around the edge of her cup. "And then I meet you and Sam, and I realize something is different…especially you. I don't know how to describe it other than it's like this weight has been lifted. It feels effortless. Safe. I don't have to even think about it. I feel guilty because of that…it's my fault Ben is gone, and here I am worried about my feelings for someone else."

Dean gently took the mug from Ava and sat hers and his on his desk, then took her hand in his, "None of this is your fault. You've done nothing wrong…but if you would rather go back to your room, I'm not going to make you stay here." His heart was racing and he was afraid she could hear it. He didn't want her to leave, dreaded it, but knew he couldn't force her to stay.

"That's just it…I don't want to leave. I…need to be here. I need you." Dean couldn't hold back anymore and pulled her onto his lap, his lips finding hers desperately as he buried his hands in her hair. Ava wrapped her arms around Dean's neck, pulling him closer to her. She gasped as his hands slid down and found their way under her shirt, exploring the soft skin there. His skin was hot against hers and she moaned as she ground against him in an effort to find some sort of friction. "Dean…" she gasped quietly as he began to slip her shirt off of her.

He paused, "Yea?"

She looked down and away from him, clearly embarrassed, "I have more scars than what Sebastian gave me…I don't want…"

Dean leaned down and kissed what looked like a cigarette burn on her upper arm, "I don't care, Ava. Every one of these scars mean something, and even though it may not seem like it right now, they made you who you are. Don't ever forget that." He looked up at her, a gentle smile on his face, "I'll kiss every damn one of them just to show you how important and beautiful you are, scars and all." He moved to a scar on her collar bone, then to one on her wrist.

Dean spent the rest of the night doing exactly what he promised and Ava couldn't remember a time where she'd felt so free.


	15. The One Where Cas Has Bad News

Dean woke slowly, his body stiff from laying in the same position for so long. As he attempted to shift, he noticed the warm weight pinning his arm against the extra pillow and he gradually began to remember the events from last night. Ava was lying on her side, and her long hair had cascaded over her shoulder and just barely concealed the swell of her breast. Dean couldn't help but smile as he ran his thumb gently down her spine, then he leaned forward and kissed her shoulder.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered. He had expected her to stir, but she remained silent. "You're either a heavy sleeper, or you're just messing with me," he chuckled as he planted kisses along her neck and nipped at her earlobe, something he had learned last night that she quite enjoyed. Nothing; no movement, no sound. His brows furrowed in concern, "Ava?"

He gently pulled his arm out from under her and rolled her onto her back. She looked normal, as if she was just sleeping. He gently cupped her cheek, her skin smooth but incredibly hot against his rough palm. Her eyes were closed, but he could tell that they were moving under the lids, and a thin sheen of sweat shone on her forehead.

"Ava, wake up!" Dean could feel the panic rising in his chest at how still she was, aside from the little bit her eyes seemed to be moving, and sat up so that he could pull her into his lap.

"Come on, Ava, you need to wake up. You were fine, everything was fine, right? Ava!" Footsteps echoed in the hall and his door flew open.

Sam stood in the doorway, his hair still disheveled and tired eyes wide as he took in the sight in front of him, "What in the hell…why are you naked? Why is she…what is happening?"

Dean looked at Sam in panic, not even realizing that he was still naked from the night before, "She won't wake up, Sammy. She was fine, everything was fine, and then we went to sleep and now…she won't wake up. Sammy, why won't she wake up?"

Sam quickly crossed the room and put a hand to Ava's forehead, "She's burning up, dude. You said she was fine last night?"

Dean nodded, "Yea…we came back here to talk, and then…well…you could probably guess what happened next. We fell asleep soon after, but she was fine. She was fine." He fell silent, then as if realizing for the first time that both of them were naked hurriedly covered her with a blanket. "Can you get her some clothes? Maybe…maybe Cas can help."

"Dean, Cas hasn't answered any of our prayers. Why would he show up now?"

"Just because I did not respond does not mean I did not hear you."

Sam jumped at the sudden voice behind him and turned around to see Castiel standing almost against him. "Jesus, Cas!"

Dean laid Ava back on the bed and jumped up, eyes narrowed, "You heard me and just decided to ignore it? What the hell, man? She could have died! Where the hell were you?"

"I could tell that the situation was handled and that I was not needed immediately. Where I was is not relevant to the problem at hand." He walked over to the bed and sat down gently as he put a hand to Ava's forehead, "How long has she been like this?"

Dean ran a hand over his face and sighed, "I don't know…we've been asleep for a few hours…she was fine before that." Cas closed his eyes and tilted his head as his brows came together in concentration. Dean frowned, "What? What's wrong?"

Cas turned to look at him, "I need some time." He glanced down, then brought his eyes back up to meet Dean's, "You may want to put some clothes on and get something to eat while you wait. I do not know how long this will take."

One of the dresser drawers slid open on its own, and Dean walked over to grab what he needed from it and quickly dressed. He walked towards the door, then stopped to look at Ava one last time, "How bad is it, Cas?"

Cas frowned and gave his head a slight shake, "I do not know yet, but Dean…you may want to prepare yourself for the worst."

Sam softly grabbed Dean's arm, "Come on, man. Let's get some coffee." Dean let Sam lead him out of the room and down the hall, his chest tight with possibilities that he did not want to think about.

* * *

She hears voices echoing down the long hallway of the house they are in, whispers of distrust and whether or not they will keep her with them. She can tell they are too far away, she shouldn't be able to hear them, but the voices are distinct; Sam and Dean are discussing what they should do with her. She stops, and her grip tightens around the knife she doesn't remember picking up.

 _"Sam, I don't know, man. Look, you were soulless for awhile, and I didn't just abandon you. You were dangerous, you had no sense of right and wrong, that there was a grey area. Do you remember how you acted?"_

 _"Yea, I know, Dean, but…you heard what Cas said. This is different, this isn't just not having a soul or drinking demon blood. It's actually inside of her, Dean. Even after the blood transfusion, Cas said it's the strongest connection he's seen. I get it, man, I do. I lived it, and I wish for nothing more than to have her be free of that…that darkness. I just….I don't think this is going to work. I know how much of a struggle it was, and I don't know that she's going to be able to live through it anyway. Maybe if she got away from this life, away from us, she'd stand a fighting chance."_

 _"So just throw her out there alone with no one to keep an eye on her, no one to remind her she's still human?" Dean scoffs, "That'll work. That's a brilliant plan, Sam. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that scenario. What happened to you being the one that wanted to save her, huh?"_

Dean sighs, and Ava can feel herself being pulled to him, a moment of softness and a desire to wrap her arms around him so that she can press herself against his chest and let his heartbeat ground her. As quickly as the moment comes, it is gone. In its place is anger, deep and ugly hatred bubbling and threatening to erupt. These were not her friends, not her family. These men want to abandon her. They are no better than the foster parents she had before she had managed to get away.

It's like Ava is watching someone else walk down the hallway, like the knife is held in someone else's hand. She quietly approaches the room she knows she'll find Sam and Dean in, and for a moment she almost talks herself out of it. There is no need to kill the Winchesters. They had rescued her, saved her from that monster-

 ** _Monster? I made you who you are, I made you strong, Ava. If not for me, you'd still be living that pretend life, going to work, coming home, making love to some man that was just kind enough to make you feel good about settling. The Winchesters stole what we could have had. You would have come around, and I would have shown you a whole new world. You were strong, Ava. The Winchesters are making you weak…especially Dean._**

Ava shakes her head as she tries to get rid of the voice. Dean saved her. Sam and Dean both have saved her. For the first time in her life, she has realized what it was like to actually care for someone. Ben was a wonderful man, but he had been convenient. Though she owes her life to the Winchesters, she knows her feelings for Dean are based upon something else, something deeper than anything she's ever known. Dean Winchester is a good man.

 ** _Dean Winchester is a murderer. He killed me right in front of you, and you say he's a good man? Do you know how many lives he has taken, how many of my kind and others he has destroyed for the sake of being a hunter? The man does not see in shades of grey, Ava. It is black and white. He claims he does it for the greater good, but you know what? It's all lies. He does it for himself. He does it because his soul is broken and the only thing that makes him feel better is to destroy what everyone else has._**

 _I don't believe you._

 ** _Believe it. Listen._**

 _"Maybe you're right. Maybe when we get done with this job we just go home and tell her how it is. We should have never brought her back to the bunker, Sam."_

 _"Dean, I'm sorry. I know I started this, and now you're in it deeper than you should be. Are you going to be able to tell her to leave after everything that's happened?"_

 _Dean pauses as he thinks about the answer, "Yea…it'll be okay. Hell, I left Lisa and Ben behind, and I actually loved them. Getting rid of Ava should be cake."_

 ** _See? He doesn't care about you. You're just another notch on his bedpost that he made the unfortunate mistake of bringing home instead of one of the dingy hotels they always stay at. You know what you should do, Ava?_**

 _What?_

 ** _He took advantage of your trust and your feelings. He took the opportunity to be with me away. That makes you angry, doesn't it Ava?_**

Silence.

 _ **Your silence is answer enough. He took all those things away from you. You should take Sam away from him.**_

 _No! I can't hurt Sam. I can't do that to Dean._

 ** _I believe thou doth protest too much. You heard them. They don't care about you. They regret bringing you home with them. They're going to make you leave, Ava, and where are you supposed to go? The least you could do is make Dean regret it. They don't even know you're here, it would be so easy._**

Ava feels her feet begin to move despite her attempt at staying in place. She makes it to the doorway and sees that both brothers have their backs turned towards her.

 ** _Perfect. It's like it was meant to be. Go ahead, Ava. Do it. It'll be easy._**

Before she realizes what is happening, Ava crosses the space between her and Sam and with all of her strength, plunges the knife deep into Sam's back. Before either Winchester can react, she has already pulled it back out and slammed it home again. Sam drops to the ground, and Dean looks at her in shock. Before he can say a word, Ava has lashed out at him, the knife catching him easily across the throat. Blood splashes across Ava's face as Dean falls forward and tries to grab her. She steps back and watches as Dean hits the floor next to Sam. She calmly wipes the blood from her face with the back of her hand and feels a smile creep across her face.

 ** _See? How did that feel?_**

Ava pauses for a moment as she closes her eyes and allows the adrenaline to course through her. She takes a deep breath as she slowly opens her eyes and lets them rest on the widening pools of blood under the brothers.

 _It felt_ _ **good.**_

* * *

"Dean, what were you thinking?" Sam looked at Dean as he leaned against the table, his head in his hands.

Dean looked up at Sam sharply, 'What was I thinking? You were well on your way to trying it, Sam, and don't deny it. Am I wrong?"

Sam shook his head, "I wasn't going to-"

"Bullshit," Dean spat, returning his head to his hands. Sam didn't understand, Dean didn't expect him to, but he was also pretty sure that if Sam didn't shut up, he was going to punch him.

"Seriously though, Dean…it's only been a couple of weeks. Neither one of us should have…she needed more time to herself."

Dean shoved himself away from the table and went to the fridge. He opened it angrily and pulled out a beer, then threw the cap on the counter, "I didn't do anything, Sam. She came to me, okay? It's not like I planned it. Hell, I don't think she did either. We were talking, and one thing led to another…" He sat back down at the table, "You know what, I don't have to explain myself to you, and neither does she. What's done is done, and of course neither of us can have nice things, so here we are. Do you have anything else to say about it? Or are you going to leave us two consenting adults alone?"

Sam sat down across from Dean, "You're right. It's not my business. Sorry."

Dean began picking at the label on his beer, "Do you think she's going to be okay?"

Sam shrugged, "Honestly? I don't know. I thought things were getting better, that maybe the blood was running its course since the episodes seemed to have spread out but…maybe I was wrong. I thought I could understand it, but this is totally different than what happened with me. It's unpredictable. I've been going off the assumption that Azazel would have been more powerful, but I'm beginning to wonder."

"Sam, I don't know what-"

"She is still asleep," Cas's deep voice interrupted.

Dean jerked around to see Cas standing uncomfortably close to him, "Fucking hell, Cas. You have got to stop doing that."

"Sorry." Cas took a step back, "I should probably reword what I just said. She is unconscious. She seems to be…dreaming."

"What's wrong with her? What is she dreaming about?"

Cas frowned, "It is hard to explain what is wrong with her. It appears that the blood she had been injected with has been, for a lack of a better term, multiplying. It is attaching itself to what is left of her blood vessels and taking them over."

Dean looked between Cas and Sam, "What does that mean? Sammy, what does that mean?"

Sam sighed and looked down at his hands, "It means…it means that eventually her blood won't be her blood. It will be Sebastian's…it'll be demon blood."

Dean looked back at Cas, "Well, just fix it. Use your angel mojo and fix it. You heal us all the time."

"Dean, it is not that simple. I am millions of years old and I have never seen this type of possession. I do not believe there is a way to reverse it. There is a darkness inside of her that, if left alone, will change her. She will not be Ava and she will not be Sebastian. I do not know how to describe it, but it will be powerful."

'How powerful?" Sam asked quietly, his eyes on Dean.

"I cannot say for certain, but I have cause to believe she will be almost as powerful as a nephilim. Sebastian may not have gotten the child that he wanted, but he succeeded in creating a being that will be more powerful than most of the heavenly host."

"How long do we have before she turns?" Dean asked gruffly.

"I am unsure. She may wake up and still be the Ava you know, and then it is just a matter of time. Or you may never see that side of her again. It is too hard to predict."

Sam stood suddenly, and Dean looked at him sadly. "Then we research! There's gotta be something we can do to help her. You said it, if we leave her alone, it will change her. Maybe there's a spell or something that we can use to reverse it. I'll get started-"

"Sam, there is nothing. Regardless of what happens when she wakes up, she will turn. The only certainty we have is that she must be dealt with before that happens. It will be too late once the change is completed."

Dean glared at Cas, "What are you proposing? That we kill her? We just saved her. I'm not doing it. There's gotta be a way."

Cas tilted his head as he stared at Dean, "Is this because you two fornicated? If you are unable to take on the task, then I will do it myself. We allowed Jesse to go free because of your feelings, I cannot let Ava do the same. She will be even more dangerous than the child."

Dean stood and moved closer to Cas, "You keep your damn mouth shut-"

"Both of you, stop. Cas, we will take care of it. Dean, Cas is right…we can't just let her go free," Sam paused and held his hands up as Dean took a dangerous step towards him, "but I also don't think we need to kill her. We need to see what happens when she wakes up. We aren't going to know anything until then. ….Dean, you aren't going to like this, but I think we need to put her in the dungeon."

Dean's mouth dropped open, "Are you freaking kidding me? We just rescued her from being chained up in what was basically a dungeon, and now you're wanting to do it again? Absofuckinglutely not. No. We will take turns watching her. Sam, take first watch, I'm going to run out and get some supplies so we don't have to leave for awhile. Cas, maybe go do something useful…" Before Dean could finish his sentence, Cas had vanished. Dean rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Whatever, man. Sam, just…go. I'll be back in like an hour, if that. Call if you need anything."

Dean walked off without letting Sam answer and grabbed his jacket as he crossed through the war room and towards the garage. He slipped it on and paused as his fingers brushed something in the pocket. It was a folded piece of receipt paper.

 _Hey Deano,_

 _Sometimes you need to remember instead of forget. If you ever need anything, there's a certain foul mouthed Southern girl that's willing to listen. Don't be a stranger._

 _P.S. There's an apple pie waiting for you if you're ever back this direction._

 _Audrey_

Her number was neatly printed at the bottom, and he stared at it for a moment before folding the paper up and slipping it back into his pocket.

It occurred to Dean that his life had been much simpler when all he dealt with were monsters.


End file.
